An imbalance most coverage misses Reporting on the Middle Corridor has concentrated almost entirely on volume growth — more containers, more rail capacity, shorter transit times. Less attention has been paid to the direction those containers travel. Approximately 80 per cent of container movements on the route are westbound, carrying […]
Uzbekistan’s IPO Pipeline and $8 Billion Privatisation: A Guide for US Investors
The programme in outline Uzbekistan is running two parallel processes that American investors should read together. The first is a public offering pipeline led by Uztelecom, the state telecommunications operator. The second is a privatisation programme covering 84 companies with a headline value of approximately $8 billion. The government has […]
Azerbaijan Foreign Investment Up 19% in 2026: Where US Investors Stand Ahead of the Baku Investment Forum
The headline number Foreign investment into Azerbaijan rose 19 per cent in 2026, according to official statistics. The composition of that inflow is as informative as its size. The United Kingdom, Türkiye, the United Arab Emirates and Russia occupy the top four positions. The United States sits fifth. For a […]
Ministers, Members and the Manhattan Skyline: What ASKON’s Fourth Turkish-American Business Meeting Signals for Bilateral Trade
A room assembled during UNGA week The fourth Turkish-American Business Meeting, hosted by ASKON — the Anatolian Businessmen Association — brought Turkish government figures and Turkish-American entrepreneurs together in New York in late September, timed to coincide with the United Nations General Assembly. Trade Minister Ömer Bolat attended alongside Industry […]
Kazakhstan’s $78.6 Billion Investment Cycle: A Sector-by-Sector Guide for U.S. ExportersNationwide Capital Deployment Program and Project Scope
ASTANA — The government of Kazakhstan has officially initiated a massive new capital investment cycle encompassing 215 major projects valued at a collective 78.6 billion US dollars. Announced on 9 September 2026, the comprehensive economic program is structured to accelerate industrial modernization, expand digital infrastructure, and deepen domestic manufacturing capabilities […]
Turkey Becomes a Top Buyer of U.S. Crude: What the Energy Realignment Means for TradeHistorical Shift in Transatlantic Oil Procurement Volumes
ANKARA — Official energy trade data confirms a fundamental structural shift in Turkey’s crude oil procurement strategy, marked by a rapid expansion of seaborne imports from the United States. In January 2026, Russia maintained its historical position as Turkey’s dominant crude oil supplier, accounting for 38 per cent of total […]
The Middle Corridor’s Empty Container Problem: Why Eastbound Cargo Is Only 20% of VolumeContainer Traffic Rises Alongside Structural Route Asymmetry
AZERBAIJAN — Operational figures covering the first eight months of 2026 demonstrate continued quantitative expansion along the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route, widely known as the Middle Corridor. Data released on 10 September 2026 indicates that freight traffic across the corridor reached 53,574 twenty-foot equivalent units between January and August, representing […]
Azerbaijan’s Investment Paradox: $7.4 Billion In, But Non-Oil Growth Is FlatCapital Inflow Surges While Non-Oil Expansion Lags
BAKU — Latest macroeconomic performance indicators released by the State Statistics Committee of Azerbaijan on 11 September 2026 reveal a stark divergence between total capital deployment and non-energy sector expansion. Total fixed capital investment across the economy expanded by 10 per cent year-on-year during the first eight months of 2026, […]
Comprehensive Tax Exemption Framework Operationalised Until 2076
TASHKENT — The government of Uzbekistan has formally unveiled the operational parameters for the newly established Tashkent International Financial Centre, offering an unprecedented commercial incentive package designed to attract global institutional capital. Under executive measures announced on 10 September 2026, qualified international financial institutions operating within the centre will benefit […]
Washington Calls Them Transshipment Hubs — and Also Its Critical Minerals Partners: The Tier III Problem for Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan
What the report says A White House white paper dated 21 August, titled ‘The Great Transshipment Scam’, places Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan in its Tier III category. The allegation is that rail and dry port transit, consolidation services and land-to-sea connections in these countries facilitate the movement of Chinese […]