Digital Customs Could Boost Kazakhstan’s Transit Potential, But Infrastructure Remains Key, Experts Say
ALMATY – Kazakhstan is stepping up its partnership with the World Customs Organization (WCO) as part of a broader strategy to strengthen the country’s position as a key Eurasian transit hub. But while digital customs reforms could significantly reduce trade costs and border delays, experts say their long-term economic payoff will ultimately depend on…
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Masdar’s 1 GW Wind Plant Highlights Kazakhstan’s Race to Build More Flexible Power System
ALMATY – Kazakhstan is moving ahead with a $1.4 billion renewable energy project with Masdar, a leading renewable energy company based in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), as the country seeks to expand wind generation while addressing electricity shortages and building a more flexible power system. The development was discussed Sept. 8 during a…
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Kazakhstan’s First Government Meeting Puts Skilled Workers in Focus
ASTANA – Kazakhstan’s first government meeting in its updated composition after the Kurultai elections focused on a topic that could determine the success of its economic transformation: whether the country will have enough skilled workers to support planned growth.

Photo credit: inkaraganda.kz

At the Sept. 8 meeting, Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov called for an…
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History for Kazakhstan 🎾🇰🇿

Elena Rybakina rises to world No. 1 after rallying past Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen 3-6, 6-1, 6-4 to reach the US Open semifinals.

CPC Oil Flows Surge Despite Disruptions as Kazakhstan’s Export Routes Gain Importance, Expert Says
ALMATY – Kazakhstan increased oil transportation through KazTransOil’s main pipeline network by 4% in the first eight months of 2026, while volumes transported into the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC) system rose 39%, highlighting both stronger oil flows and the continued strategic importance of export infrastructure to the country’s resource economy.

Photo credit: KazTransOil.

KazTransOil…
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BlackRock at AFD 2026: AI Investors Should Stay Calm and Focus on Constraints
ASTANA – As artificial intelligence drives a new investment boom, the best strategy may be to resist the excitement and focus instead on the bottlenecks that could constrain its growth, according to Ben Powell, managing director and chief investment strategist for Asia-Pacific at the BlackRock Investment Institute.

Speaking on Sept. 9 during a fireside…
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Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan Move to Revive Caspian Passenger Ferry Service
ALMATY – Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan are working to resume passenger ferry services across the Caspian Sea, reopening a route that connected the two countries until 2020 and could provide an additional boost to tourism and regional connectivity.

Photo credit: exclusive.kz Click to see the map in full size. The map is designed by The…
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Rybakina Makes History as Kazakhstan’s First World No. 1
ASTANA – Elena Rybakina has made history for Kazakhstan, becoming the first athlete from the country to rise to the top of the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) singles rankings, a breakthrough that puts Kazakh tennis at the summit of the sport.

Photo credit: Elena Rybakina’s Instagram account.

Rybakina secured the top position in the…
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AFD 2026: Kazakhstan Seeks Role in Finance’s Next Digital Frontier
ASTANA – We want to take it out of the unregulated area and make it work, because it works whether we want it or not,” National Bank Chairman Timur Suleimenov said during the plenary session Rewiring the Architecture of Finance at Astana Finance Days 2026 on Sept. 9, capturing the regulatory dilemma at the…
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CPC Oil Loading Operations Resume After Drone Incident
ASTANA – Oil loading operations at the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC) marine terminal have resumed in normal mode after a Sept. 8 drone incident near the facility, Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Energy said.

Photo credit: CPC

Following the incident, loading operations at Single Point Moorings (SPM) 2 and 3 were temporarily suspended.

The ministry said…
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Rare-Earth Oxide Separation Facility Planned for Stepnogorsk
ASTANA – Australian critical minerals company Lindian Resources and French rare-earth specialist Carester have agreed to advance plans for an 8,000-ton-per-year solvent extraction and rare-earth oxide separation facility in Stepnogorsk, Kazakhstan.

Click to see the map in full size. The map is designed by The Astana Times.

Under the agreement, Carester and Australian engineering…
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ADCB Kazakhstan Plans to Triple Project Financing in Kazakhstan
ASTANA – Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank plans to triple project financing in Kazakhstan over the next 18 months, from the current 2.5 trillion tenge (US$5.5 billion), as the bank expands its role in supporting the country’s real economy and infrastructure development.

Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov and Farooq Abdulrahman Al Marzooqi, Chairman of Abu Dhabi…
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AFD 2026: Creative Industry Pushes Investors to Rethink What Counts as Financial Asset
ASTANA – What if a song, a game, a digital creator or a piece of intellectual property could be treated not only as a cultural product, but as an investable asset? For Kazakhstan’s emerging creative economy, that shift in thinking could be as important as the creative output itself.

(From L to R) David…
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Dimash Calls for Investment, Infrastructure to Unlock Kazakhstan’s Creative Potential
ASTANA – Kazakh singer, composer and producer Dimash Qudaibergen called for greater investment, infrastructure and legal support for Kazakhstan’s creative industries during the opening ceremony of Astana Finance Days (AFD) 2026 on Sept. 9.

Dimash Qudaibergen performs his song “Aqerke.” Photo credit: AFD 2026

AFD 2026 is a two-day event bringing together more…
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AFD 2026 Delivers New Agreements, Market Instruments for Regional Growth
ASTANA – The Astana Finance Days (AFD) 2026: Delivering Impact. Capital in Action concluded with a series of agreements and new financial instruments to strengthen regional financial cooperation, sustainable finance, digital assets, aviation finance and access to capital.

Photo credit: AFD

Held on Sept. 9-10, the forumbrought together 8,000 participants from 90…
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Kazakh Businesses to Trade Carbon Units on AIFC Exchange
ASTANA – Kazakh businesses implementing environmental projects will be able to trade carbon units on the Astana International Financial Centre (AIFC) exchange under a planned agreement with the international carbon standard Verra, AIFC Product Director Zhanbolat Kakishev said at Astana Finance Days (AFD) 2026.

Photo credit: iStock

“We will sign an agreement with the…
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From National SDGs to Regional Delivery: Central Asia’s Next Step
Central Asia has entered a new phase of regional cooperation. The question is no longer simply whether the five countries can work together. Increasingly, it is whether growing political trust can be converted into practical institutions, shared measurements and tangible results for the people of the region.

Jakhongir Isaev.

The Sustainable Development Goals offer…
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China-Central Asia Trade Surpasses $100 Billion as SCMP Hosts Landmark Conference in Astana
ASTANA – Trade between China and the five Central Asian states has surpassed $100 billion, highlighting the region’s growing economic importance as the South China Morning Post (SCMP) convened policymakers, business leaders, investors and innovators in Astana on Sept. 7 for its landmark China Conference: Central Asia 2026.

Photo credit: Shutterstock

Co-hosted by SCMP…
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Electrification Is Reshaping Global Economy, and Kazakhstan Has Lot at Stake
ASTANA – The global energy transition is often discussed through the language of climate targets, emissions cuts and renewable energy. Yet the next stage of the transformation may be defined by a more practical question: how much economic activity can countries run on electricity, and how efficiently can they do it?

Photo credit: iStock…
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President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev is set to visit India and South Korea on Sept. 12–16 for a series of high-level talks and international summits.

In New Delhi, Tokayev will attend the 18th BRICS Summit at the invitation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and address the BRICS+ outreach plenary on strengthening resilience, innovation, cooperation and stability. He is also scheduled to hold talks with Modi and meet with other leaders.

In Seoul, Tokayev will hold talks with President Lee Jae Myung focused on strengthening the Kazakhstan–South Korea expanded strategic partnership, as well as meet executives of leading Korean companies. He will also participate in the first Central Asia–Republic of Korea Summit on Sept. 16.