Belarus tests new BUK missile system as a low-key arms race in Eastern Europe gathers momentum
CSTO states express serious concern over terrorist threat in Afghanistan
Armenia refuses to host Eurasian Economic Union summit
COMMENT: Trump 2.0 could be a blessing for Belarus
PANNIER: Why the Turkmenistan, Iran gas “friendship” is back on
Russia’s CBR keeps key rate at 21% under pressure
Russia’s arms exports slump, Kremlin preparing for possible war with Nato
North Korea’s missile support to Russia raises alarms at UN
Ukraine invasion was ‘spontaneous’ and unplanned, Putin claims
Bulgaria’s interim PM Glavchev refuses to sign 10-year military support deal with Ukraine
North Korean troops face heavy losses in Russia-Ukraine War as conflict intensifies
Telia willing to sell its Latvian operations back to government if price is right
The EU Council calls for a European geothermal action plan
FDI in Emerging Europe hit by geopolitical uncertainty and German slowdown
IMF: The 2004 EU enlargement was a success story built on deep reform efforts
Czech National Bank keeps interest rates at 4%
Czech EPH signs agreement with Italian Enel to buy its stake in Slovenske Elektrarne
Hungary grants political asylum to fugitive former PiS minister
Hungarian households have joint lowest consumption levels in EU
Polish industrial production disappoints in November as output falls 1.5% y/y
Polish producer price deflation eases further in November
Slovak, Hungarian, Austrian and Italian groups sign declaration backing continued gas transit through Ukraine
Slovenia sets up emergency alert system after devastating floods
Athens conditions support for Albania’s EU accession on protection for Greek minority
EU Council says enlargement is a "geo-strategic investment in peace"
Bureks vs. Big Macs
BALKAN BLOG: What Grenell’s return means for US diplomacy in the Balkans
International highway tears through Bosnia’s rural heartlands
Russia reaps harvest of chaos in nearby democracies
Croatian Bosqar Invest acquires bakery Mlinar in €100mn deal
TikTok says it has stepped up moderation ahead of Croatian presidential election
Kosovo's population down 12% since 2011
Kosovo’s president slams EU’s “unfair” treatment
Moldova's economy shrinks by 1.9% y/y in Q3
Serbia faces backlash over controversial foreign agents bill
North Macedonia's central bank lowers key interest rate by 0.25 pp to 5.55%
North Macedonia’s ex-deputy PM Grubi reportedly flees to Kosovo to avoid detention in corruption case
Formation of ruling coalition in Romania faces deadlock as Social Democrats suspend talks
Syrian-Kurdish SDF’s fighters from outside Syria will leave if Turkey agrees ceasefire, says commander
Istanbul cruise port debt “re-restructured”, banks take 49% stake
Turkey launches Persian news media aimed at Iran
Growing Islamic finance in Central Asia to unlock GCC investment
INTERVIEW: Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank financing Central Asia’s green future
Award seen as Nobel Prize for human rights won by Kabul women’s rights activist and jailed Tajik lawyer
Corruption probe launched into Armenian satellite project
EBRD warns of risks for emerging markets pursuing industrial policies
Several top Armenian officials resign amid political shake-up
Azerbaijan trades barbs with French and US diplomats in online "Twiplomacy"
Azerbaijan’s Aliyev lines up with Russia and Trump, admits Georgia interference
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COMMENT: Could Iran open new fronts against Israel and Azerbaijan?
PROFILE: Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili
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Russia sells stakes in Kazakhstan uranium JVs to China
Freedom Holding Corp brings FIDE world rapid & blitz chess championships to Wall Street
Adylbek Kasymaliev appointed new chief of Kyrgyzstan’s cabinet ministers, predecessor dismissed amid tax corruption scandal
Decades-old Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan border dispute could be over
Kyrgyzstan: MPs seem willing to give police a free hand
Hit indirectly by sanctions, Mongolia struggles to find workarounds
HESS: Mongolia’s unique success story between rock and a hard place at risk
Mongolia copper-gold discovery hailed for “globally significant” prospects
Tajikistan: Officials announce discovery of major rare earth deposits
Tajikistan: Rogun Dam is a white elephant in the making – report
COP29: Central Asian states losing arable land
Uzbek national arrested in Moscow bombing that killed Russian chemical defence chief Kirillov
Uzbekistan’s Moscow embassy “clarifying” details on man detained after scooter-bomb assassination of Russian general
Russia's budget oil breakeven price world’s second lowest as oil revenues recover
Southeast European countries look to Algeria to diversify energy supplies
Slovenia turns back to Algerian gas after flirtation with Russian supplies
“Silent demise” of world’s vast rangelands threatens food supply of billions, warns UNCCD report
IEA: Access to energy improving worldwide, driven by renewables
The hurricane season in 2024 was weird
Global warming will increase crop yields in Global North, but reduce them in Global South
Hundreds of millions on verge of starvation, billions more undernourished as Climate Crisis droughts take their toll
Global access to energy starts to fall for the first time in a decade, says IEA
Saudi Arabia hosts kingdom's first Africa summit, to boost ties, promote stability
Putin at 2023 Africa-Russia summit: Wiping debts, donating grain and boosting co-operation
EBRD 2023: Bank to expand into the whole of Africa plus Iraq
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Nelson Mandela worried about natural diamonds, Leonardo di Caprio defended them, makers of lab-grown stones demonise them
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Russia’s Rosatom to support nuclear projects across Africa at AEW2024
JPMorgan, Chase and HSBC reportedly unwittingly processed payments for Wagner warlord Prigozhin
Burkina Faso the latest African country to enter nuclear power plant construction talks with Russia
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Rain, rain go away
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EM winners and losers from the global green transformation
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Malaysia seeks BRICS membership
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Kazakhstan has no plans to join BRICS, says Astana
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How France is losing Africa
Gabon coup attempt after the re-election of President Ali Bongo
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Kenya’s untapped mineral wealth holds the promise of economic transformation
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Force majeure at Libya’s Zawiya Refinery threatens exports and oil expansion plans
Russia, facing loss of Syrian base for Africa operations, seen turning to war-torn Sudan or divided Libya
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Ukraine claims it was behind massacre of Wagner Group mercenaries in Mali
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Sri Lanka's LTL Holdings targets African power sector
Russia's nuclear diplomacy binding emerging markets to the Kremlin
Can Niger's military junta seize the country's uranium opportunity?
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Niger and beyond: Francophone credit delivers coup de grâce
The world has passed peak per capital CO₂ emissions, but overall emissions are still rising
Trump threatens BRICS with tariffs if they dump the dollar
SITREP: Middle East rapidly destabilised by a week of missile strikes
Colombian mercenaries trapped in Sudan’s conflict
Air France diverts Red Sea flights after crew spots 'luminous object'
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Tunisian President Kais Saied re-elected for second term
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Climate crisis-driven global food security deteriorated between 2019 and 2022 and is even affecting the US
South Korea’s won slides as martial law crisis sparks market turmoil
Major bank’s service disruptions cause payment delays at fuel stations across Iran
China unveils $71bn swap facility to revitalise flagging economy
Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway makes waves with $1.9bn yen bond sale
Fukushima's forgotten victims as Japan shifts back to nuclear power
Balancing growth and sustainability: Southeast Asia’s energy dilemma
Where does nuclear power-use stand in post-COP29 Asia?
India’s second-largest clean energy company ReNew plans to go private
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Trump vows to block Nippon Steel's $14bn bid for US Steel
China dismisses Trump's tariff threat, warns of 'no winners' in trade war
Iraq blocks IMDb website over 'immoral content' claims
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South Korean users flock to YouTube and Instagram as local platforms struggle
Bahrain and Iran to begin talks on normalising relations
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Jaw-dropping discovery: 450,000-year-old tooth unearthed in Iran
China's COMAC eyes Saudi Arabia as launchpad for international expansion
Iranian ambassador claims US sets conditions on Syrian-Iranian relations
Syria's new leader al-Sharaa declares "end of Iranian project"
Iran to add 500MW solar capacity by year-end, targets 4GW expansion
ISTANBUL BLOG: After “conquering” Damascus, Erdogan turns his eye to the Kurds
SYRIA BLOG: Putin joins George W Bush’s “Mission Accomplished” club
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Iran's Khamenei gives Syria speech in front of women-only audience
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Qatar-Turkey-Europe gas pipeline ambition could be back on following fall of Assad
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How Assad turned Syria into a narco-state
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Sea of Oman oil terminal boosts export resilience amid tensions with Israel
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Israel attacks more than 250 military targets in Syria in 48 hours
COMMENT: A stable Syria could become a major energy hub
Saudi Arabia extracts lithium from oilfield runoff, plans commercial pilot
Saudi Arabia wins 2034 World Cup bid, beating Australia
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UPDATED: Syria's former president Assad arrives in Moscow
Israel launches biggest strike in Yemen, killing 40 people
TEHRAN BLOG: Pezeshkian's dilemma over Haniyeh's assassination
Iranian foreign ministry condemns Haniyeh's assassination in Tehran
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IMF: Breaking Latin America’s cycle of low growth and violence
COMMENT: Trump’s White House picks signal rocky start with Latin America
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Bolivian ex-president Evo Morales faces formal charges of human trafficking
Geothermal energy poised for major global expansion, says IEA chief Fatih Birol
US-Cuba rum war spills over as Biden law stirs Havana Club row
Brutal gang violence over failed voodoo spell claims nearly 200 lives in Haiti's capital
Mexican cartel boss who created fearsome Zetas returns to face justice after US deportation
Paraguay stands firm with Taiwan amid growing Chinese pressure
Murder exposes secret prostitution ring in Peruvian Congress
Protests in Bangladesh escalate, demanding president leave office
Bangladesh tribunal issues arrest warrant against ousted PM Sheikh Hasina
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US imposes preliminary duties on Southeast Asian solar imports
COMMENT: From Globalisation to “slowbalisation” as FDIs decline on trade and geopolitical woes
Angkor Archaeological Park attracts nearly 700,000 foreign tourists in nine months
Blinken warns Taiwan crisis could trigger global economic turmoil
Iran boosts oil, gas output amid US crackdown on sales
Peru's APEC summit exposes trade tug-of-war between Beijing and Washington
Rising gold ETF inflows set to drive global bullion prices
Russian exports of diamonds to Hong Kong up 18-fold in 5M24
Gazli Gas responds to reports on Uzbekistan project, refutes any suggestion sanctioned individuals are involved
Valuation questions raised over Blackstone's $2.1bn IPO of India’s International Gemmologist Institute
INTERVIEW: Jeet Chandan, co-founder of Indian investment platform BizDateUp
Boldly brewing where no one has brewed before: Japanese sake to be made in space
South Korean president impeached, Constitutional Court to sit December 16
Japan plans tax hike to fund $280bn military buildup
BCPG to invest $945mn in power projects, prioritising clean energy
Malaysia’s industrial growth slows in October following mixed sector performance
Myanmar junta to allow observers for controversial 2025 election amid ongoing conflict
Nepal floods - death toll rises to 209
Kolkata hospital rape and murder case sparks international outcry, raises questions
South Asia hit by floods and landslides after heavy rainfall
Russian pivot to the Global South includes unscrupulous army recruiting practices
North Korean troops suffer casualties in Ukraine conflict
South Korea intensifies military drills to bolster defences against North Korean drone threat
Security personnel dead as Imran Khan’s supporters breach Islamabad lockdown
Pakistan could quit TAPI as India now “extremely lukewarm” on gas pipeline project, says report
Papua New Guinea tribal conflict leaves 30 dead amid gold mine dispute
Thousands evacuated as Mt. Kanlaon erupts, threatening more explosive activity
South Korea's acting president rejects six controversial bills amid growing tensions
Korean won dips to crisis levels amid US rate cuts and market volatility
Sri Lanka’s merchandise exports in October up 18.22%
Taiwan boosts defence with advanced Abrams tanks amid rising Chinese tensions
Vietnam faces challenges in meeting carbon emission targets
German Prosecutors Confirm Termination of Money Laundering Investigation Against Alisher Usmanov
Comments by President of the Russian Fertilizers Producers Association Andrey Guryev on bilateral meeting between Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin
PhosAgro/UNESCO/IUPAC green chemistry research grants awarded for the 8th time to world's best young scientists
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Fitch Ratings said in a note that Kazakhstan's banking sector displayed a robust performance in the first half of 2023, driven by factors including high interest rates due to inflation, strong non-interest gains and healthy net interest margins. The rating firm noted that the banking sector’s average net interest margin was 7.4% in the first half, marking a 60 bp increase from the previous year. In addition, the sector recorded net income exceeding KZT1tn ($2.3bn) during this period, translating to an annualised net return on average equity (ROAE) of 41%. It was largely attributed to a limited cost of risk, which remained below 2% of average loans.
Despite the strong performance, Fitch expected that Kazakh banking metrics would gradually moderate in the medium term due to factors such as slower inflation and potential additional regulatory charges. Criticism of the banking sector by Kazakhstan's president has raised concerns about potential regulatory changes that could impact the industry, Fitch said.
Despite the expected moderation, Fitch also said it believed that the sector's intrinsic profitability would remain strong.
Kazakhstan has launched the “Silk Road” train tour, connecting Tashkent, Turkestan and Almaty. The inaugural journey was set to depart on November 16. The four-day tour, ... more
Uzbekistan plans to export 10-15bn kWh of electricity to Europe by 2030, as announced by Deputy Energy Minister Umid Mamadaminov during the European Economy Days, as ... more
Central Asia is working to achieve a unified electricity trade platform to improve regional trade and meet the growing demand for renewable energy, according to Uzbekistan’s Deputy Minister for ... more
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