Latest Updates

Fuel prices cast a dark shadow over Asia travel season

There will be no real winners in traditional tourism this summer – only airlines, tourist destinations and central banks left counting the cost.

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COMMENT: UzNIF’s IPO marks a milestone for Uzbekistan’s capital markets

The listing of the Uzbekistan National Investment Fund (UzNIF) on the London Stock Exchange marked a landmark development whose importance extends far beyond a single financial transaction. It signifies a new phase in Uzbekistan’s transformation.

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Why Afghanistan dreams of opening up Wakhan Corridor, the mountain valley that connects three worlds

Likely once trodden by Alexander the Great and Marco Polo, its potential is fascinating.

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Taiwan’s renewable energy push is a combination of ambition, delays, and dependence

The government originally targeted a 2025 electricity mix of 20% renewables, 50% LNG and 30% coal. That target has since quietly slipped, with officials now acknowledging that the 20% renewables goal will likely not be reached until after 2026.

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Peru's run-off offers voters a choice between two constitutional crises

Two legally embattled candidates. A Senate neither controls. Peru isn't choosing a president on June 7 — it's choosing the shape of its next crisis.

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MACRO ADVISORY: Uzbekistan clearer opportunities and challenges

President Mirizoyev recently declared that the latest program of reforms has been completed. That focused on reforming the system of government, the state bureaucracy and improving both economic and physical infrastructure.

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Trump-Xi summit sparks Taiwan headlines, but raises doubts over US grasp of bigger picture

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Kazakhstan rejects idea of Turkic states military alliance

Tokayev reins in any such ambitions at OTS summit attended by Turkey’s Erdogan. At same time, wants to turn Kazakh armed forces into “high-tech fist”.

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Trump sushi – US president invests in Japanese chain

Kenya lists first infrastructure fund on Nairobi bourse with UK support

Ex-presidential aide’s arrest deepens scrutiny of corruption risks in wartime Ukraine

Trump sushi – US president invests in Japanese chain

US President Donald Trump reportedly bought shares in the US subsidiary of popular Japanese conveyor-belt sushi operator Kura Sushi, where diners have the possibility of winning prizes after inserting used plates into a slot system.

Kenya lists first infrastructure fund on Nairobi bourse with UK support

Spearhead Africa Infrastructure Fund became the first infrastructure-focused vehicle to list on the Nairobi Securities Exchange after raising $26.3mn for renewable energy, logistics and digital infrastructure projects.

Ex-presidential aide’s arrest deepens scrutiny of corruption risks in wartime Ukraine

Andriy Yermak, once regarded as President Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s most influential political lieutenant, was freed from pre-trial detention after supporters paid $3.1mn in bail.

News

Kazakhstan’s railway company to start its own Caspian fleet to boost Middle Corridor

China-Central Asia Monitor: April 30 - May 7, 2026.

Decathlon opens second Argentina store as part of $100mn expansion plan

French sporting goods retailer Decathlon will open its second Argentina store in Córdoba on May 30, its first outside Buenos Aires, as part of a $100mn plan to open more than 20 outlets nationwide.

Russia's black caviar sales slide 22% as shoppers trade down

Russian black caviar sales fell 22% by volume in January-April as squeezed shoppers traded down to red caviar and cheaper fish roe, with sturgeon caviar output also sliding by a third.

Pakistan makes first US crude imports as energy ties expand

Pakistan has imported 6mn barrels of crude oil from the US for the first time in the current fiscal year, in a move that highlights a gradual widening of energy links between Islamabad and Washington.

Iranian stocks edge higher as Tehran reopens bourse after 80-day war shutdown

Tehran Stock Exchange resumed operations with 42 major listed companies, representing about 35% of total market capitalisation, still suspended because of direct war damage or exposure through subsidiaries

Kazakhstan’s railway company to start its own Caspian fleet to boost Middle Corridor

10 hours ago

Decathlon opens second Argentina store as part of $100mn expansion plan

11 hours ago

Russia's black caviar sales slide 22% as shoppers trade down

16 hours ago

Pakistan makes first US crude imports as energy ties expand

16 hours ago

Iranian stocks edge higher as Tehran reopens bourse after 80-day war shutdown

18 hours ago

More News

Tech

French AI giant acquires startup co-founded by Latvian entrepreneur

French artificial intelligence company Mistral AI has agreed to acquire Austrian startup Emmi AI, an industrial engineering technology firm co-founded by Latvian entrepreneur Miks Miksons.

Israel's Decart secures $300mn in funding following Nvidia and Amazon deals

Israeli AI company Decart has raised $300mn in a new funding round less than a year after its previous raise, lifting its valuation to $4bn.

Iraqi SIM card trade emerges in Iran's western border regions

A market for Iraqi SIM cards has emerged in towns along Iran's western border as internet restrictions push traders and residents towards foreign mobile networks to reach messaging apps blocked inside the country.

Astana finally has its light rail metro system

Corruption, cost overruns and fires dogged the project for much of the 20 years it took to construct. Chinese-built automated service is driverless.

Boeing secures China deal for 200 aircraft

Boeing has confirmed that China has committed to purchasing 200 aircraft following a visit to Beijing by Donald Trump, in a deal that could expand significantly with potential orders for a further 750 planes.

French AI giant acquires startup co-founded by Latvian entrepreneur

12 hours ago

Israel's Decart secures $300mn in funding following Nvidia and Amazon deals

21 hours ago

Iraqi SIM card trade emerges in Iran's western border regions

1 day ago

Astana finally has its light rail metro system

1 day ago

Boeing secures China deal for 200 aircraft

2 days ago

More Tech

Opinion

COMMENT: What to expect from the fifth Tashkent International Investment Forum

The fifth Tashkent International Investment Forum (TIIF) will take place on June 16–18, 2026 just as the government floated the Uzbekistan National Investment Fund (UzNIF) on the London Stock Exchange. The economy is booming and FDI is rising fast.

COMMENT: Did Trump ruin the Abraham Accords?

Trump has seemingly ruined his much hyped Abraham Accords after backing Israel's war on Iran. Now what?

RAGOZIN: From reform to relapse, Ukraine’s corruption problems resurface

Charges brought against president Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s former chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, focus on four mansion houses in the luxury estate co-op called Dynasty. But corruption has long been an intimate feature of Ukrainian politics.

US–China Summit: A strategic moment for stabilizing bilateral relations

US President Donald Trump arrived in Beijing on May 13 for a new round of face-to-face talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping from May 14 to 15, a meeting arriving at a particularly delicate moment in global politics and the international economy.

IMF: Extreme inequality is fuelling a global debt crisis

During the Great Depression, as he saw ordinary people’s purchasing power collapse, Federal Reserve Chairman Marriner Eccles warned that excessive saving by the rich was draining demand and deepening the downturn.

COMMENT: What to expect from the fifth Tashkent International Investment Forum

12 hours ago

COMMENT: Did Trump ruin the Abraham Accords?

15 hours ago

RAGOZIN: From reform to relapse, Ukraine’s corruption problems resurface

3 days ago

US–China Summit: A strategic moment for stabilizing bilateral relations

5 days ago

IMF: Extreme inequality is fuelling a global debt crisis

5 days ago

More Opinion

Data

Iran's fertility rate falls to 1.35 as births drop below 900,000

Iran's fertility rate has fallen to 1.35 children per woman, well below the replacement level, with annual births dropping below 900,000 for the first time, the Health Ministry has said.

Russia’s small businesses buckle under taxes, weak demand and wartime disruption

Russia’s small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are facing their most difficult year since the invasion of Ukraine, squeezed by higher taxes, falling consumer demand, elevated borrowing costs and mounting internet disruptions.

Moldova raises inflation forecast amid Middle East tensions and higher energy costs

Upward revision reflects higher expected prices for food, fuels and regulated utility tariffs, as well as the impact of the conflict in the Middle East on international markets.

Romania keeps key interest rate at 6.5%

National Bank of Romania maintains a cautious stance amid persistent inflationary pressures, political uncertainty and external risks linked to the conflict in the Middle East.

Pakistan’s debut Panda Bond issue oversubscribed amid strong investor demand

Pakistan’s first-ever Panda Bond issuance received an overwhelming response from investors and was oversubscribed, marking a major milestone in the country’s financial engagement with China and international capital markets.

Iran's fertility rate falls to 1.35 as births drop below 900,000

17 hours ago

Russia’s small businesses buckle under taxes, weak demand and wartime disruption

21 hours ago

Moldova raises inflation forecast amid Middle East tensions and higher energy costs

22 hours ago

Romania keeps key interest rate at 6.5%

1 day ago

Pakistan’s debut Panda Bond issue oversubscribed amid strong investor demand

2 days ago

More Data

Features

Azerbaijan's graduate glut

Most of the new jobs created in Azerbaijan are in construction, but over 50% of the new graduate workforce is humanities-trained.

BEYOND THE BOSPORUS: PKK renames itself Apoist Movement Management

Scores of names can be traced back to the 1970s Revolutionaries of Kurdistan.

Albania weathers Middle East shock as hydropower shields economy from energy crisis

Central bank expects only "mild and transitory" impact from Middle East conflict on Albania's economy.

Kosovo’s latest election cycle deepens fears over instability and drift away from EU

Third snap election since 2025 extends cycle of instability that has paralysed institutions, delayed reforms and raised concerns in Brussels over the Western Balkan country's European future.

Slovenia’s SMEs battle labour shortages and rising costs as enterprise fund pushes green and digital shift

Multiple pressures are forcing companies to invest in automation, digitalisation and more sustainable business models to maintain competitiveness, says Slovenian Enterprise Fund.

Azerbaijan's graduate glut

1 day ago

BEYOND THE BOSPORUS: PKK renames itself Apoist Movement Management

2 days ago

Albania weathers Middle East shock as hydropower shields economy from energy crisis

2 days ago

Kosovo’s latest election cycle deepens fears over instability and drift away from EU

2 days ago

Slovenia’s SMEs battle labour shortages and rising costs as enterprise fund pushes green and digital shift

2 days ago

More Features

Blogs

MOSCOW BLOG: Trump eats humble pie in Beijing

US President Donald Trump’s trip to Beijing ends today and he has been forced to eat humble pie after coming out of the gate last year with an extremely aggressive policy on China.

VISEGRAD BLOG: Hungary’s post-Orban reckoning

PM Peter Magyar pledged to dismantle the institutional and financial legacy of Viktor Orban’s 16-year rule, with implications beyond Hungary’s borders.

MOSCOW BLOG: Russia's social contract has broken down

Something has quietly shifted in Russia. Not the social and economic meltdown Western pundits have been confidently predicting almost continuously for the last two decades. But something has changed and the people are not happy.

BALKAN BLOG: Wave of Trump-linked Balkan investments sparks transparency concerns

Mega deals announced by Trump-linked companies brings up concerns over corruption and environmental impact similar to those raised over Chinese and Middle Eastern investments in the past.

MOSCOW BLOG: EU unblocks Ukrainian loan, twentieth sanctions package, as Kyiv builds a robot army

Phew. That was an effort. EU leaders met in Brussels yesterday and signed off on releasing the €90bn loan for Ukraine that will keep it in the fight with Russia for another two years. They also passed the twentieth sanctions package on Russia,

MOSCOW BLOG: Trump eats humble pie in Beijing

4 days ago

VISEGRAD BLOG: Hungary’s post-Orban reckoning

6 days ago

MOSCOW BLOG: Russia's social contract has broken down

7 days ago

BALKAN BLOG: Wave of Trump-linked Balkan investments sparks transparency concerns

19 days ago

MOSCOW BLOG: EU unblocks Ukrainian loan, twentieth sanctions package, as Kyiv builds a robot army

26 days ago

More Blogs

bneGREEN

Vietnam plans 270MW floating solar across hydropower reservoirs

Vietnam’s state-owned power producer EVNGENCO1 has proposed adding 270MW of floating solar capacity across three hydropower reservoirs in southern Vietnam

China added a Germany-sized electricity grid last year - OWID

We’ll often see headlines quoting how many gigawatts of new solar farms or coal plants China is building. But it’s hard to get a meaningful sense of scale for how electricity generation in China is changing.

Montenegro advances climate reforms as EU accession prospects strengthen

Podgorica steps to align national climate change legislation with European Union standards, and advancing the EU integration process.

Germany revamps its energy laws, but risks locking itself into decades of costly gas import dependence

Germany risks locking itself into decades of costly gas import dependence unless policymakers give battery storage equal treatment in upcoming power market reforms, energy think-tank Ember has warned.

Tehran water consumption hits 3bn litres a day as Iran braces for crisis summer

Daily water consumption in Tehran has reached nearly three billion litres before the start of summer, with reservoirs at just 22% of capacity, as Iran braces for an early heatwave amid post-conflict strain on infrastructure.

Vietnam plans 270MW floating solar across hydropower reservoirs

12 hours ago

China added a Germany-sized electricity grid last year - OWID

1 day ago

Montenegro advances climate reforms as EU accession prospects strengthen

4 days ago

Germany revamps its energy laws, but risks locking itself into decades of costly gas import dependence

5 days ago

Tehran water consumption hits 3bn litres a day as Iran braces for crisis summer

5 days ago

More bneGREEN

Latest Updates

News

China-Central Asia Monitor: April 30 - May 7, 2026.

French sporting goods retailer Decathlon will open its second Argentina store in Córdoba on May 30, its first outside Buenos Aires, as part of a $100mn plan to open more than 20 outlets nationwide.

Russian black caviar sales fell 22% by volume in January-April as squeezed shoppers traded down to red caviar and cheaper fish roe, with sturgeon caviar output also sliding by a third.

Pakistan has imported 6mn barrels of crude oil from the US for the first time in the current fiscal year, in a move that highlights a gradual widening of energy links between Islamabad and Washington.

Tehran Stock Exchange resumed operations with 42 major listed companies, representing about 35% of total market capitalisation, still suspended because of direct war damage or exposure through subsidiaries

Tech

French artificial intelligence company Mistral AI has agreed to acquire Austrian startup Emmi AI, an industrial engineering technology firm co-founded by Latvian entrepreneur Miks Miksons.

Israeli AI company Decart has raised $300mn in a new funding round less than a year after its previous raise, lifting its valuation to $4bn.

A market for Iraqi SIM cards has emerged in towns along Iran's western border as internet restrictions push traders and residents towards foreign mobile networks to reach messaging apps blocked inside the country.

Corruption, cost overruns and fires dogged the project for much of the 20 years it took to construct. Chinese-built automated service is driverless.

Boeing has confirmed that China has committed to purchasing 200 aircraft following a visit to Beijing by Donald Trump, in a deal that could expand significantly with potential orders for a further 750 planes.

Opinion

The fifth Tashkent International Investment Forum (TIIF) will take place on June 16–18, 2026 just as the government floated the Uzbekistan National Investment Fund (UzNIF) on the London Stock Exchange. The economy is booming and FDI is rising fast.

Trump has seemingly ruined his much hyped Abraham Accords after backing Israel's war on Iran. Now what?

Charges brought against president Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s former chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, focus on four mansion houses in the luxury estate co-op called Dynasty. But corruption has long been an intimate feature of Ukrainian politics.

US President Donald Trump arrived in Beijing on May 13 for a new round of face-to-face talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping from May 14 to 15, a meeting arriving at a particularly delicate moment in global politics and the international economy.

During the Great Depression, as he saw ordinary people’s purchasing power collapse, Federal Reserve Chairman Marriner Eccles warned that excessive saving by the rich was draining demand and deepening the downturn.

Data

Iran's fertility rate has fallen to 1.35 children per woman, well below the replacement level, with annual births dropping below 900,000 for the first time, the Health Ministry has said.

Russia’s small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are facing their most difficult year since the invasion of Ukraine, squeezed by higher taxes, falling consumer demand, elevated borrowing costs and mounting internet disruptions.

Upward revision reflects higher expected prices for food, fuels and regulated utility tariffs, as well as the impact of the conflict in the Middle East on international markets.

National Bank of Romania maintains a cautious stance amid persistent inflationary pressures, political uncertainty and external risks linked to the conflict in the Middle East.

Pakistan’s first-ever Panda Bond issuance received an overwhelming response from investors and was oversubscribed, marking a major milestone in the country’s financial engagement with China and international capital markets.

Features

Most of the new jobs created in Azerbaijan are in construction, but over 50% of the new graduate workforce is humanities-trained.

Scores of names can be traced back to the 1970s Revolutionaries of Kurdistan.

Central bank expects only "mild and transitory" impact from Middle East conflict on Albania's economy.

Third snap election since 2025 extends cycle of instability that has paralysed institutions, delayed reforms and raised concerns in Brussels over the Western Balkan country's European future.

Multiple pressures are forcing companies to invest in automation, digitalisation and more sustainable business models to maintain competitiveness, says Slovenian Enterprise Fund.

Blogs

US President Donald Trump’s trip to Beijing ends today and he has been forced to eat humble pie after coming out of the gate last year with an extremely aggressive policy on China.

PM Peter Magyar pledged to dismantle the institutional and financial legacy of Viktor Orban’s 16-year rule, with implications beyond Hungary’s borders.

Something has quietly shifted in Russia. Not the social and economic meltdown Western pundits have been confidently predicting almost continuously for the last two decades. But something has changed and the people are not happy.

Mega deals announced by Trump-linked companies brings up concerns over corruption and environmental impact similar to those raised over Chinese and Middle Eastern investments in the past.

Phew. That was an effort. EU leaders met in Brussels yesterday and signed off on releasing the €90bn loan for Ukraine that will keep it in the fight with Russia for another two years. They also passed the twentieth sanctions package on Russia,

bneGREEN

Vietnam’s state-owned power producer EVNGENCO1 has proposed adding 270MW of floating solar capacity across three hydropower reservoirs in southern Vietnam

We’ll often see headlines quoting how many gigawatts of new solar farms or coal plants China is building. But it’s hard to get a meaningful sense of scale for how electricity generation in China is changing.

Podgorica steps to align national climate change legislation with European Union standards, and advancing the EU integration process.

Germany risks locking itself into decades of costly gas import dependence unless policymakers give battery storage equal treatment in upcoming power market reforms, energy think-tank Ember has warned.

Daily water consumption in Tehran has reached nearly three billion litres before the start of summer, with reservoirs at just 22% of capacity, as Iran braces for an early heatwave amid post-conflict strain on infrastructure.

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