#Kazakhstan
The region's best startups speak every language but English
Central Eurasian venture funding hit a record $320 million in 2025. The opportunity is not the money — it is that almost no one is telling the story to the people who could fund its next chapter.
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.
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.
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.
How a tiny Almaty studio became regional television
Production economics in the corridor look very different when YouTube and Telegram are your distribution.