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On October 16, 2026, in Bishkek, Meerimbek Koichumanov, Deputy Head of the National Investment Agency, met with a delegation from the China-Hong Kong Economic and Trade Association (CHKETIA), led by Vice President William Chan.
Kazakhstan has become the first Central Asian country to join the World Bank Group's Metals and Minerals Compact initiative. The formal procedure took place on October 16 in Thailand, on the sidelines of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund meetings. Kazakhstan was represented by Yerlan Galiyev, chairman of the board of the National Geological Service JSC, which falls under the Ministry of Industry and Construction, according to primeminister.kz.
The Trans-Caspian Transport Corridor, also known as the Middle Corridor, could increase the combined GDP of countries along the route by 3.3% and generate around two million jobs by 2040, according to a World Bank report presented in Astana on Oct. 15. The gains depend on governments investing in infrastructure and improving cross-border coordination.
Taliya Minullina, head of the organizing committee of the second Russian-Indian TIME forum and head of Tatarstan's Investment Development Agency, called India the “pharmacy of the world.” She said India ranks first globally in generic drug production, supplies 20% of world generics and about 50% of all vaccines. Minullina named pharmaceuticals as one of the promising areas of cooperation between Tatarstan and India.
Kazakhstan has increased production of grain, oilseeds and potatoes, according to the Khabar 24 news outlet. Data from the Bureau of National Statistics show that the 2025 harvest of cereals and pulses, excluding rice, exceeded 25.4 million tonnes. This is nearly 730,000 tonnes more than a year earlier.
Finance Minister Özdemir Berova has defended the government's borrowing with the phrase “Maliye batmadı, döndürüyoruz” (“The treasury has not sunk, we are rolling it over”). Central Bank records, however, show the Üstel government borrowed repeatedly throughout the year.
Chinese company Raising Sun Technology Co. Ltd plans to invest more than $200 million in building a modern paint production plant for materials in Chust district of Uzbekistan's Namangan region. The project is designed to be implemented in three stages.
From 1 January 2027, the minimum wage (MROT) in the Sakha Republic (Yakutia, Russia) will be 72,300 rubles in zone 1 and 81,018 rubles in zone 2. Acting Finance Minister Ivan Alekseyev announced the figures on 15 October at open hearings in the Il Tumen legislature.
Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan have agreed to complete bilateral negotiations on market-access conditions within Uzbekistan's accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO). The next step will be signing the relevant protocol once necessary internal procedures are completed.
Kyrgyzstan's Cabinet of Ministers has approved a new procedure for identifying monopolistically high and low prices. Resolution No. 686 was adopted on October 12, 2026. The antimonopoly authority will apply it to business entities holding a dominant position in a commodity market.
The Jogorku Kenesh has put a draft package of amendments to Kyrgyzstan's Tax Code up for public discussion. Such changes are usually adopted once a year as a large package. This round focuses on expanding tax authorities' access to fiscal software data and bank accounts when collecting debts, revising rules for the single tax, and simplifying the write-off of bad debts.
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Republic of Karakalpakstan on Wednesday signed an updated memorandum of understanding to promote the region's socio-economic development. The document was signed by Kanokpan Lao-Arai, director of the ADB Resident Mission in Uzbekistan, and Azhiniyaz Kaipnazarov, deputy chairman of the Council of Ministers of Karakalpakstan.
Tatarstan and India need to build a transport cargo logistics system, Tatarstan's Minister of Transport and Road Management Farit Khanifov said. He made the remark at a press conference in Kazan for the second Russian-Indian business forum "Time."
Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov met with Muataz Al-Hayat and Ramez Al-Hayat, heads of Qatar's Power International Holding (PIH), to discuss joint projects. Gas processing and telecommunications cooperation was on the agenda.
Bashkortostan has significantly increased its grain exports, according to the press service of the republic's Ministry of Agriculture. The ministry said the growth in agro-industrial supplies is in line with the goals of the national project „International Cooperation and Exports.“
Kyrgyzstan's Ministry of Economy, National Bank, Tax Service and State Agency for Land Resources have been instructed to draft a regulation setting a maximum amount for cash payments in real estate transactions and loan issuance. The instruction was given by Cabinet Chairman Adylbek Kasymaliev in Cabinet resolution No. 653 of 29 September 2026.
On the sidelines of the Summit of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA) in Baku, President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev met with Emir of the State of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani. Qazinform News Agency reported the meeting, citing the press service of Akorda.
Participants in the National Bank of Kazakhstan's macroeconomic survey expect inflation in Kazakhstan to reach 9.5% for 2026. In August, the same participants had forecast inflation at 10%. Estimates for the following two years also fell, according to the results of the October survey.
Two international exhibitions, Kyrgyzstan Expo 2026 and Expo Eurasia Kyrgyzstan 2026, opened on October 15 at the Zhashtyk Arena in Bishkek, according to the Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCI). The business event brought together entrepreneurs, manufacturers, investors and members of the diplomatic corps from various countries.
KNSB, the Confederation of Independent Trade Unions in Bulgaria, the country's largest union, will hold a car convoy protest in front of the Parliament building at 12:00 tomorrow, 16 October, against the government's proposed minimum wage of 660 euros for next year.
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has signed a $200 million loan agreement with Uzbekistan to modernise its electricity grids, the bank's press service reported. The deal was signed on October 15 in Bangkok, Thailand, by ADB President Masato Kanda and Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Finance Jamshid Kuchkarov.
Azerbaijan's state budget is projected to allocate 13.2 billion manat for the restoration and reconstruction of territories liberated from occupation in 2027 to 2030. The Azerbaijani outlet Oxu.az reported the projection, which covers the Karabakh and East Zangezur economic regions.
Rais of Tatarstan Rustam Minnikhanov met Russian Energy Minister Sergey Tsivilev at the international forum Russian Energy Week. The main topic was modernising the republic's generating capacities and its electrical grid complex, according to the press service of the Rais of Tatarstan.
Uzbekistan's national news agency UzA reported in its “Short News” programme for 15 October that President Shavkat Mirziyoyev took part in the seventh summit of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia (CICA) in Baku. The programme also covered a press conference on energy tariff reforms and social support for the population.
Today's top Turkic news: Uzbekistan-China ties, Samarkand visit, Kulubaev-Rubio talks, Northern Cyprus festival and Turkmen desertification centre.
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