Uzbekistan
Central Asia green finance grows, led by Kazakhstani private sector
Kazakhstan is Central Asia’s leading market for green and sustainable bonds, and there is strong potential in other countries, according to Manas Gizhduaniyev, chief executive of the AIFC Green Finance Centre.
Wages in Uzbekistan climb 17% y/y in 1Q to monthly average $568
Increase extends a multi-year trend.
Tashkent studio’s pirate survival game Windrose pulls in $30mn in 10 days
10mn+ players attracted by big hit reportedly developed on modest budget.
Uzbekistan registers strong first-quarter growth of 8.7%
Broad-based expansion increasingly driven by services and construction.
Russia would not accept military presence of outside powers in Central Asia, says defence minister
Andrei Belousov tells SCO meeting Moscow is “closely monitoring” moves made by “non-regional states”.
Uzbekistan government bond issuance doubles from 2023 to 2025
Corporate market reaches record size of UZS 5.28 trillion ($437mn).
Central Asia targets skills gap as renewable energy push accelerates
With investments into renewables accelerating, the region faces a widening gap between labour market needs and available skills.
Central Asia in race to close power-generation gap – report
Greater regional coordination seen as key to solving conundrum.
Which countries have fertility rates above the replacement level - OWID
Fertility rates — which measure the average number of children per woman — have been falling worldwide. Since 1950, global fertility rates have halved, from almost 5 children per woman to 2.2, Our World in Data (OWID) reports.
Central Asian countries commit to stronger action on air pollution at Astana summit
Aging industrial infrastructure remains a major challenge, while car use has increased rapidly as populations become more affluent.
Kazakhstan proposes regional ‘Green Shield’ to combat desertification in Central Asia
Desertification is accelerating across the region, with 9 sqm of land turning into desert every minute.
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.
Snow leopard habitat threatened by China–Kyrgyzstan–Uzbekistan rail project, argues research paper
Concerns raised are an awkward matter for Bishkek – it lately made the big cat a national symbol.
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.
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.
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.
BlackRock among big funds backing Uzbek state’s first foray on to global equity markets
Asset managers sign cornerstone deals for $300mn of IPO global depositary receipts in Uzbekistan’s national investment fund UzNIF.
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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.
ADB says Uzbekistan expected to sustain steady growth of towards 7%
Delivering on the forecast could prove challenging, however, if the Middle East conflict is prolonged.
Pakistan’s Ghazab Lil-Haq operation and the prospect of regime change in Afghanistan
A Eurasianet partner post from the Central Asia-Caucasus Analyst.