Tech
Nvidia becomes the AI engine behind South Korea's industrial push
South Korean industrial conglomerates are expanding their partnerships with US chipmaker Nvidia to embed artificial intelligence across advanced pharmaceuticals, manufacturing, and robotics.
Azerbaijan moves to ban under-16s from social media
Official tells parliament companies should "not have the right to exploit the psychology of our children" in Azerbaijan.
Russia weighs tighter rules on M2M SIM cards and eSIMs
Russia is weighing tighter rules on M2M SIM cards and eSIMs, including extra user ID checks, the removal of voice and SMS functions, and a possible ban on registering foreign eSIMs, in a further tightening of internet control.
AzerTelecom and Telecom Armenia sign internet transit deal
Agreement adds a new connectivity route for Armenia, as Baku and Yerevan continue to implement post-conflict normalisation.
TIIF 2026: Uzbekistan bets on fintech ecosystems to drive next phase of digital growth
Uzbekistan's fintech sector is entering a new stage of development. Companies are seeking to build integrated digital ecosystems that combine banking, payments, lending and ecommerce.
TIIF 2026: Enterprise Uzbekistan employs English common law to attract global tech firms
Ambitious new legal jurisdiction is aimed at attracting international technology companies by utilising legal certainty and regulatory flexibility rather than tax incentives.
TIIF 2026: Russian e-commerce giant Wildberries ramps up Central Asian operations
Russia’s largest e-commerce operator Wildberries became the largest retailer of any sort when it overtook MasterSport in 2019 and took Russia into a new age of e-commerce. Now it is expanding into Uzbekistan's fast-growing economy.
How Russian firms get their apps into App Store despite sanctions
Since Russia's invasion of Ukraine, sanctioned banks have adopted "guerrilla" strategies to launch their apps on the App Store.
Foreign platforms drive growth on Hungary’s €6bn e-commerce market
Hungary's e-commerce market grew 9.3% y/y in 2025 and was ten times larger than a decade ago, according to PwC's latest E-toplist ranking.
Estonia plans world's first digital identities for AI agents
PM Kristen Michal says Estonia has an opportunity to help define standards for the next stage of the digital era.
EBRD opens a technology hub in Sofia
New centre to support the EBRD’s operations across all business lines, with a focus on cloud technologies, software engineering, cybersecurity and AI.
Israeli AI company Artlist to lay off 200 of its 500 workers
Israeli AI stock catalogue company Artlist confirmed that it would lay off 200 of its 500 employees in what has been categorised as a strategic move rather than one influenced by financial pressure.
Bulgaria’s Dronamics, Xcalibur partner on drone use for resource exploration
The global airborne geophysical services market was valued at more than $1.35bn in 2026.
Polish satellite firm Thorium Space raises PLN22mn in pre-IPO, misses fundraising goal
Thorium Space develops technologies targeting Europe's growing demand for independent and secure satellite communications infrastructure.
Kazakh president’s pet project gets boost from China
China-Central Asia Monitor: June 5-11, 2026.
Russian e-commerce major Wildberries eyes national logistics mega-project
Planned logistics platform is expected to function as a marketplace for freight customers.
South Korea ICT exports hit record high on AI chip demand
South Korea’s exports of information and communication technology (ICT) products reached a record monthly high in May, driven by strong demand for semiconductors and other products linked to the artificial intelligence ecosystem.
UK, Japan seal $24bn investment and tech partnership
More than 10 trade agreements were signed in total. These included an offshore wind farm project.
Can the Baltics become Europe's engine of innovation?
Europe has a problem. It’s falling behind both the US and China in innovation. If a European start-up gets off the ground they regularly decamp for the US where the market is bigger and more liquid.
Polish president vetoes crypto assets bill for third time
President Karol Nawrocki vetoed a government bill aimed at regulating the crypto assets market, blocking legislation that would have appointed the Polish Financial Supervision Authority as the market’s main watchdog.