Aigerim Nurlanqyzy
From Almaty to a $1.3 billion valuation
Higgsfield AI raised $50m, then an $80m extension — the first global breakout to carry a Kazakh origin story.
Inside the AIFC's quiet bet on digital assets
A second phase of Astana's money-services framework lands in 2026, and the global crypto industry has noticed.
Why Kaspi rewrote distribution economics
A single super-app changed how an entire country pays, borrows and shops — and the global payments lobby is still adjusting.
What the Digital Tenge actually means
Kazakhstan's central-bank digital currency, explained for outsiders.
Bishkek, the frontier of the frontier
Tiny checks, big tax breaks: why Kyrgyzstan rewards the patient founder.
Almaty crypto winter is officially over
On-chain volumes recovered through Q1 2026. The exchanges quietly hiring tell a clearer story than the price charts.
Why Baku is funding climate hardware
An oil-rich state is writing checks that quietly look very different from its petro-dollar past.
The corridor's first deep-tech fund
A $40m vehicle out of Astana takes its first three bets — and they are not what you'd expect from the region.
A founder, a Telegram channel, a $4m seed
Distribution before product is a tired startup adage. In Almaty it is now a fundable thesis.
Stablecoins, but for utilities
A pilot in Astana is the first serious attempt to use stablecoin rails for cross-border B2B settlement at meaningful volume.
Five maps that explain Central Asian venture in 2026
Capital flows, founder origins, talent migration. The shape of the corridor, drawn in numbers.
The Bishkek loophole
Kyrgyzstan's IT park lets foreign founders keep more capital than anywhere else in the region. There is a catch.