Kazakhstan
Central Asia, EU pledge deeper cooperation on water and energy
Central Asia is among the regions most exposed to climate change, with accelerated glacier melt altering river flows and more frequent droughts disrupting hydropower generation.
Military use of Caspian Sea is intolerable, says Kazakhstan’s leader
At ecological summit, Tokayev names no countries, but Russia’s lobbing of missiles at Ukraine from the sea and Ukrainian oil platform attacks come to mind.
CENTRAL ASIA BLOG: There are those who swear Tokayev just auditioned for the UN top job
Rumours have swirled for months that Kazakhstan’s president wants to succeed Antonio Guterres. An appearance at an event in Turkey did his chances no harm at all.
Developing countries must not bear climate burden alone, Central Asian leaders say
Presidents tell Regional Ecological Summit in Astana the global shift to a low-carbon economy risks deepening inequality unless it is managed fairly with stronger support for developing countries.
Kazakhstan pushes for regional cooperation on climate as threats increase
Kazakhstan’s Ecology Minister Yerlan Nysanbayev called for deeper cooperation across Central Asia to tackle shared environmental issues ahead of the Regional Ecological Summit in Astana.
The Kazakh fintech Freedom Holding sets its sights on the world
Freedom Holding Corp has undergone a transformation that few could have predicted. It listed on Nasdaq in 2019 as a mid-sized Kazakh brokerage, and grew into a $9.6bn fintech platform. Now it wants to go global.
Middle Corridor in play
Squeezed by a sanctioned Russia to the north and a war prone Middle East to the south, the Middle Corridor that runs through Central Asia and the Caucasus is back in play as the main route connecting Europe to Asia by land.
Freedom Holding bets on super-app ecosystem to challenge Kazakhstan's digital giants
The Kazakh-based brokerage-turned-fintech company Freedom Holding Corp is building an app, which is not just a banking service, it is supposed to organise your whole life.
Thousands of Central Asia-bound trucks stuck in Azerbaijan due to war-hit Iran’s border closure
Unable to use northern Iranian roads, truckers are forced to wait their turn for a ferry crossing.
INTERVIEW: The Steppe Challenger
Freedom Holding's founder Timur Turlov has built a financial empire across Central Asia. Now, armed with a super-app, a Nasdaq listing, and a conviction that regulators are finally ready to listen, he wants to take on the West.
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UPDATE: Pakistan launches Iran transit corridor with first shipment to Central Asia
Pakistan has formally launched a new overland trade corridor via Iran, dispatching its first export consignment from Karachi to Tashkent.
Pakistan’s Ghazab Lil-Haq operation and the prospect of regime change in Afghanistan
A Eurasianet partner post from the Central Asia-Caucasus Analyst.
PANNIER: Taliban look north for friends
Faced by a hostile Pakistan to the east and south, and a conflict-wracked Iran to the west, Afghanistan’s rulers turn to Central Asia for options.
CEVF 2026 provides window on Central Asia’s growing venture ecosystem
Held for the first time in Uzbekistan, event offered 800 investors, founders and tech leaders insights into innovation landscape.
BP leading effort to develop energy deposits in Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan
British energy giant reportedly interested in building new trans-Caspian energy corridor.
Kazakhstan service sector saw green shoots of recovery in March, PMI shows
Inflationary pressures recede further, marginal growth in new business recorded.
Kazakhstan’s manufacturing output fell at fastest pace in four years in March, PMI shows
Companies pull back on operations in response to muted demand.
Erdogan lobbies Fico in campaign to lift EU sanctions on Uzbek tycoon Usmanov
Media outlet publishes full text of letter written to Slovak PM by Turkish president.
$2bn World Bank loan to eliminate Bosporus bottleneck in China-Europe trade corridor breakthrough
INRAIL project also a boost for commerce aross Central Asia, Caucasus and Middle East.
China and Turkmenistan cannot get their gas export numbers straight
Eurasianet’s China-Central Asia Monitor: March 20-26, 2026.