Central Asia in March 2026: the most important developments in economy
In March 2026, Central Asia's economic news came almost entirely from Kazakhstan. On March 6 the National Bank of Kazakhstan left its base rate unchanged at 18%, and its governor commented on the possibility of the tenge reaching 400 per US dollar. The central bank also announced plans to invest up to $350 million in crypto assets. Kazakhstan and Shell signed a long-term contract for hydrocarbon exploration in the Aktobe region, and the country planned to link its western regions to the national power grid by 2027. To stabilize domestic markets, it decided to allow beef exports and egg imports.
Later in the month, VietJet Air announced a Hanoi-Almaty-Prague route starting in July. The UK exempted the transport of Kazakh crude oil by Russia's Rosneft from sanctions. Kazakhstan lifted a ban on poultry transit from three Russian regions and temporarily restricted livestock imports, and a Kazakh construction tycoon bought the gold mining company Altynalmas.
by WorldBrief & Maksim Micheliov | AI-generated summary
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