Author: Malika Ismoilova
Malika Ismoilova
Malika focuses on public datasets, government financial disclosures and evidence-based reporting. Her work uses public information to explain spending patterns, institutional performance and broader governance trends.
Safia, one of Uzbekistan’s largest confectionery chains, plans to grow its Kazakhstan network from 11 to 25 branches by the end of this year, with each new location requiring between $100,000 and $150,000 in capital. Shymkent operations are already profitable; Almaty is expected to reach break-even before year-end.
The US dollar climbed above 12,000 sums on October 15 for the first time since late July, closing at 12,011.65 sums after an eight-day consecutive rally that reversed a prolonged decline stretching back to a three-year low recorded in September.
Exiled Erk party leader Muhammad Salih confirmed meeting Batyr Rakhimov in early 2021 and handing him a written proposal for political reconciliation, corroborating Radio Ozodlik’s account that the businessman—married to a niece of Uzbekistan’s First Lady—was operating as an informal back-channel between the government and the banned opposition.
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