Kasymzhano

Region

Kazakhstan

The country's economy, technology, and digital markets, reported with local sources and Central Asian context.

The Marketplace Is Dead. It Will Call You

Illustration: Almas Kasymzhanov · Higgsfield AI

Investigation

The Marketplace Is Dead. It Will Call You

How Timur Turlov's Freedom is buying a marketplace that stopped paying people, why the holding is resurrecting it under its own name - and why Kaspi, for the first time in a decade, faces a challenger with real ammunition.

By Almas Kasymzhanov 21 min read
Silicon on Coal

Analysis

Silicon on Coal

Kazakhstan signed $10 billion in deals with NVIDIA and Firebird — and the electricity to run all that AI will be dug straight out of coal. What's actually in the deal, what it will cost, and where we've seen this movie before.

By Almas Kasymzhanov 14 min read
Lazy Arithmetic: How AI Mines Gold Out of Kaspi

Tools

Lazy Arithmetic: How AI Mines Gold Out of Kaspi

An MCP connector for Kaspi — Kazakhstan's dominant marketplace: Claude pulls niches, prices, and the “no-brand” share on its own.

By Almas Kasymzhanov 5 min read
Lick Beauty: Seven Million Followers vs. 420 Tenge

Markets

Lick Beauty: Seven Million Followers vs. 420 Tenge

How a brand with 7 million followers lost to a knockoff that sells for under a dollar.

By Almas Kasymzhanov 7 min read