Central Asia is moving towards a more connected digital financial system, as rising cashless payments, expanding digital wallets and growing cross-border trade create demand for faster and cheaper ways to move money across the region.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Uzbekistan on Saturday for a two-day state visit aimed at strengthening economic and strategic ties before travelling to neighbouring Kyrgyzstan for a Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit.
Central Asia is emerging as a new market for fintech investment, with Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan leading the region’s push to attract venture capital, develop startups and build digital financial infrastructure.
Russian President Vladimir Putin will travel to Kyrgyzstan next week to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit, where he is expected to hold a series of bilateral meetings with regional leaders.
Afghanistan’s western Herat province could begin receiving natural gas through the long-delayed TAPI pipeline within two months, Governor Noor Ahmad Islamjar said on Thursday. It would give local factories a new fuel source and move a decades-old regional energy plan forward.
Kazakhstan’s government has stepped down as the newly elected unicameral parliament, known as the Kurultai, begins its first session, marking the next stage of political restructuring under the country’s new Constitution.
Kazakhstan’s President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has joined other world leaders in supporting a social media ban for youth under 16 years old. He made the statement during a session of the newly elected parliament in Astana on Friday.
The death toll from flooding in Nepal has climbed to 469, the South Asian country’s police said on Friday. Almost 1,000 people are still missing in Nepal and neighbouring Tibet, following the glacier collapse near the border with China on Wednesday morning.
Kazakhstan is discussing support for the Trans-Caspian green energy corridor with the European Commission, as work continues on a project to transmit electricity from Central Asia towards European markets, Kazakhstan's Energy Ministry said.
The inaugural Silk Road Finance & Technology Forum brought together policymakers, investors and technology companies as Central Asia looks to build a more connected financial system and compete for a bigger share of global fintech investment.
A restaurant payment with a Visa card in Damascus has become a symbol of Syria’s reconnection with the global financial system.
More than half of the Syrian city of Aleppo's ancient markets have now been rebuilt, over a decade after they were reduced to rubble during the early years of the Syrian civil war.
Syrian and Israeli officials held U.S.-brokered talks in Jordan on Sunday to ease tensions after an Israeli strike on a Syrian airbase near Türkiye last week.
Uzbekistan's region of Karakalpakstan is developing three cryptocurrency mining facilities and three data centers with a combined investment of $5.1 billion, as the region seeks to attract larger and higher-quality investments.
The Silk Road Finance & Technology Forum will bring more than 6,000 policymakers, investors and technology leaders from 74 countries to Tashkent, as Central Asia seeks a bigger role in the global fintech landscape.
Kazakhstan is considering the Baku-Supsa pipeline as an alternative oil export route after Caspian Pipeline Consortium disruptions cost the country an estimated 3.5 million tonnes of oil, Energy Minister Yerlan Akkenzhenov said.
Kuwait’s Al-Sayer Group plans to export fresh and dried Afghan fruit to Kuwait and other markets while exploring broader trade and investment opportunities in Afghanistan, according to Afghan government statements following talks in Kabul on Tuesday.
Central Asia’s fintech ambitions are in the spotlight as a major forum in Tashkent draws to a close, shifting attention from the region’s potential to the investment, infrastructure and global reach needed to turn that vision into growth.
Iran and Oman discussed a phased plan for a temporary shipping corridor through the Strait of Hormuz during the Omani foreign minister’s visit to Tehran on Tuesday, as tensions remain high between Iran and the U.S. over the strategic waterway.
The UN has condemned the entry of Israeli forces into a UNRWA training centre in East Jerusalem, warning the move could disrupt vital education for young Palestinians.
