FBRK.KZ

The number of active small and medium-sized business (SMB) entities in Kazakhstan fell by more than 200,000 in the first six months of 2026. Kurultai deputy Konstantin Avershin linked the need for additional analysis to changes in the tax regime and asked the government to establish what share of entrepreneurs had genuinely ceased operating and what share had changed their tax status.

Former Majilis deputy and former chairman of the Ak Zhol party Azat Peruashev has stated that unknown individuals are distributing fake material about him through websites that copy the design of the publication Exclusive.kz. The editorial office confirmed the existence of at least three such resources and stated that it did not publish the article.

Two residents of Kostanay Region have received two-year prison sentences for illegal unlicensed microfinance activity and money laundering. The income from the illegal activity exceeded 579 million tenge.

In Semey, the murder of a 19-year-old student at the Kainar College is being investigated. The young woman sustained knife wounds in the settlement of Vodny. A 24-year-old local resident has been detained on suspicion of the crime.

On 23 September 2026, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev signed decrees appointing ten judges of the Constitutional Court, six members of the Central Election Commission (CEC) and eight members of the Supreme Audit Chamber (SAC).

The Kurultai ratified the Framework Agreement on Partnership between Kazakhstan and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB). The document opens up the possibility of attracting about $6 billion on preferential terms for projects in transport, energy, healthcare and the sphere of “green” finance.

The criminal case, after which 326 lottery clubs were closed across Kazakhstan in January 2024, was terminated due to the absence of the elements of a criminal offence. At the same time, the operator "Сәтті Жұлдыз" continued to operate: some of the former projects were resumed, and electronic lotteries were later transferred to the company's own online platforms.

In Taraz, 217 hectares of land are occupied by sewage filtration fields, which do not undergo full treatment. Some of the effluent evaporates, and some seeps into the soil, which, according to a specialist, creates a risk of groundwater contamination.

There are more than 20 offline casinos operating in Belarus, and a separate market segment is formed by licensed online platforms. Among them, a special place is occupied by "Belbet", which is legally registered as an electronic lottery and forms part of the structure of the state unitary enterprise "Belarusian Lotteries".

In Semey, after the ignition of a gas-air mixture and a subsequent gas tanker explosion, the fire spread to a car wash and two private residential houses. Two people have been hospitalised with burns, and the fire has been completely extinguished.