Foreign media on Kazakhstan: European zoos aid Kazakhstan’s Przewalski’s horse reintroduction; Kashagan oilfield to hit 1bln barrels production soon

The Times of Central Asia: European zoos aid Kazakhstan’s Przewalski’s horse reintroduction

On June 3, a second group of Przewalski’s horses arrived in Kazakhstan as part of the “Return of the Wild Horses” project, reports the Times of Central Asia. The animals were brought from Prague Zoo and Hungary’s Hortobágy National Park.

Four horses landed at Arkalyk Airport and were transported to the Altyn Dala State Reserve in Kostanay, where they will spend a year under supervision before release.

“The second group has been safely delivered, while the first group is already ready for life in the open steppe,” said Daniyar Turgambaev, chairman of the Forestry and Wildlife Committee. “For us, as the leading body for biodiversity conservation in Kazakhstan, it is a great honor to lead such an important stage in the restoration of our nature.”

Przewalski’s horse, once extinct in the wild, is being reintroduced to Kazakhstan with international support. The first group arrived in 2024, enduring harsh winters, with two mares fitted with GPS collars. By 2029, 40-45 horses are expected to form a self-sustaining population. As Bobek noted, the project continues until “a viable and genetically diverse population is formed.”

The species plays a key role in the steppe ecosystem and is listed in Kazakhstan’s Red Book and CITES Appendix II.

Global Government Fintech: Kazakhstan unveils ‘crypto card’ payments initiative

The National Bank of Kazakhstan has launched a ‘crypto card’ initiative to integrate regulated digital finance into everyday payments, reports Global Government Fintech. Consumers can now link licensed cryptocurrency wallets to standard bank cards, allowing payments in crypto while merchants receive tenge. The initiative “provides the ability to securely and conveniently integrate the turnover of digital assets into the existing payment infrastructure,” the central bank stated.

The project was officially launched on June 3 in Almaty “as part of the execution of the instructions of the Head of State [President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev] on the development of the digital asset industry.”

Participants from banks, crypto exchanges, and fintech companies discussed further projects, including stablecoins backed by the tenge, tokenisation of financial assets and real estate, and issuing tokens equated to securities.

The central bank explained that digital assets are sold instantly on the AIFC crypto market at the time of payment, with funds credited to the user’s bank account-linked crypto card, ensuring “instant settlement… through the crypto-fiat integration of the bank and the AIFC crypto provider.”

National Bank chief digital officer Binur Zhalenov highlighted in a LinkedIn post: “Merchants receive tenge, while users get a seamless payment experience with digital assets — no new infrastructure required.” He added that pilots would run through the regulatory sandbox, covering “web3 infrastructure and DAO experiments” and “scalable fiat-crypto gateways across the country.” These efforts “reflect our ambition to create a safe, inclusive and forward-looking digital finance ecosystem, aligned with the best international practices and tailored to Kazakhstan’s needs.”

Oilprice.com: Kazakhstan’s giant Kashagan oilfield to hit 1 billion barrels production soon

According to Oilprice.com, Kazakhstan’s Kashagan oilfield, which began production in 2013, is expected to reach 1 billion barrels of cumulative output by year-end. Located in the North Caspian Sea, Kashagan is one of the world’s largest oil discoveries in the past 50 years, with about 35 billion barrels of oil in place, nearly half recoverable.

The North Caspian Project consortium operates Kashagan, with KazMunayGas holding 16.88%, and Eni, Shell, ExxonMobil, and TotalEnergies each owning 16.81%. CNPC holds 8.33% and Japan’s INPEX 7.56%.

Since 2013, Kashagan has produced about 906 million barrels of oil and 75 bcm of gas, with total recoverable reserves estimated at 15.885 billion barrels of oil and 1.4 tcm of gas, according to Kazakhstan’s recent statement following a meeting between Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov and ExxonMobil’s Senior Vice President Peter Larden. They also discussed expansion plans for Tengiz, which recently started up and will boost output by 260,000 bpd.

CT Insider: French Open: No. 62 Alexander Bublik of Kazakhstan beats No. 5 Jack Draper in the fourth round

Alexander Bublik made history as the first man from Kazakhstan to reach a Grand Slam quarterfinal, defeating No. 5 Jack Draper 5-7, 6-3, 6-2, 6-4 on Monday at the French Open, reports CT Insider. After his biggest career win, Bublik dropped to the clay in celebration.

“Sometimes in life, there is only one chance, and I had a feeling that that was mine and I couldn’t let it slip,” he told the crowd. “Standing here is the best moment of my life. Period.” He added with a smile: “I’m standing here like I won the thing.”

Bublik fired 68 winners, 31 more than Draper. Ranked No. 62, he became the lowest-ranked man since 1999 to score two wins over top-10 opponents at Roland-Garros, having earlier rallied from two sets down to beat No. 9 Alex de Minaur.

“I have a certain skill set to play tennis," Bublik said, “and it worked marvelously today — 100% one of the best days of my life and one of the best matches I have ever played in my life.”

Draper, who reached the U.S. Open semifinals last year and won his first Masters 1000 title in March, said: “Didn’t play a bad match. I thought he played incredibly well. He didn’t allow me to play my tennis, I don’t think.”

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