Central Asia in February 2026: the most important developments in economy
In February 2026, Central Asian economies focused on widening trade and energy links with partners in Asia and Europe. Kazakhstan and China agreed to build three major power plants together, while Kazakhstan extended the use of its digital currency, the Digital Tenge, across key sectors. With a key pipeline damaged, Kazakhstan looked for alternative export routes to the west, and it moved into an active phase with France on a 1 GW wind power project. A company, REalloys, began work in Kazakhstan to secure rare earth feedstock.
Trade with neighbours and Russia also featured. Pakistan's Minister for Maritime Affairs offered the country's Arabian Sea trade routes to Russia and Central Asian nations. Belarus set a goal of raising trade with Uzbekistan to $2 billion by 2030, and a report cited a $39 billion increase in unregistered trade in the region. Uzbekistan overtook China as the leading berry exporter to the Russian market, Russian regions shipped poultry to Uzbekistan and Tajikistan, and Tajikistan planned ATMs for buying and selling gold bullion. India and Kazakhstan named artificial intelligence a new area of cooperation.
by WorldBrief & Maksim Micheliov | AI-generated summary
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