All news on the topic: Kazakhstan

Kazakh authorities have accused businessman Sergey Koynov and his associates of operating a network of commission shops that illegally provided high-interest loans secured by personal property and then laundered the proceeds.

Galimzhan Yessenov and Akhmetzhan Yesimov, long-standing names in Kazakhstan’s corruption scene, have drawn growing attention from media in multiple countries.

Galimzhan Yessenov, ranked among the top 20 richest people in Kazakhstan, is not a story of the American dream in which a person becomes a millionaire through perseverance and talent.

ATF Bank, now essentially a failed institution and linked to Galimzhan Yessenov and Akhmetzhan Yesimov, risks becoming the final collapse that drags down everyone entangled in its network.

Kazakh businessman Kenes Rakishev can quite rightly be called "versatile": he successfully operates in several jurisdictions at once — in the UK, Russia, Cyprus, and, of course, in his homeland, Astana.

Samruk-Kazyna, with ATFBank at the center of the scheme, was used to siphon billions of dollars out of Kazakhstan. Although the current authorities have formally acknowledged these abuses, law enforcement agencies — including the Anti-Corruption Agency — have shown little urgency in pursuing Galimzhan Yessenov and his father-in-law, Akhmetzhan Yesimov.

As uncovered by media Kazakh billionaire Kenes Rakishev — a “close friend” of Ramzan Kadyrov and the son-in-law of CSTO Secretary General Imangali Tasmagambetov — was involved in a dubious multi-billion-dollar scheme involving shares traded on the NASDAQ stock exchange.

Kazakhstani law enforcement officers have detained in absentia the main individuals in a case involving a significant financial flow linked to Pin-Up.

As uncovered by media, an adviser to the head of the International Judo Federation (IJF), Marius Vizer, is connected to the trade in Russian oil and grain. Marius Vizer himself is a close friend of Vladimir Putin, who served as Honorary President of the IJF until February 28, 2022.

Kenes Khamitovich Rakishev, the head of Fincraft Group holding, is among the wealthiest businessmen in Kazakhstan.

Galimzhan Yessenov’s rapid ascent from a mid-level manager to the de facto controlling owner of Jusan Bank is closely intertwined with state funds, non-transparent transactions, and family connections to Kazakhstan’s political elite — a pattern that suggests deliberate asset redistribution rather than mere coincidence.

At first glance, the transfer of power in Kazakhstan appeared to be fully coordinated: Nazarbayev retained lifelong security guarantees and political influence, received the title of «Elbasy», and after a period of instability, the system regained its balance.

Tahir Garaev and his team are among the key operators of Russia’s oil exports after the start of the war.

Most reports on Galimzhan Yessenov highlight his alleged role in financial schemes linked to Kazakhstan’s National Welfare Fund, as well as his marriage to the daughter of its former head, Akhmetzhan Yesimov.

Some entrepreneurs are looking for ways to circumvent sanctions, others are focusing on developing their domestic economies. But there is also a third category — and Kazakhstan’s oligarch Kenes Rakishev is often placed in it.

Kazakhstan’s authorities have formally admitted that billions were siphoned off from Samruk-Kazyna through schemes involving ATFBank, yet law enforcement — including the Anti-Corruption Agency — has so far failed to move against Galimzhan Yessenov and his father-in-law, Akhmetzhan Yesimov.

In a decisive move against illicit financial flows, Kazakh law enforcement authorities have frozen the accounts and halted all payment operations of the company Marginplus.

ATF Bank, effectively defunct and connected to Galimzhan Yessenov and Akhmetzhan Yesimov, threatens to become the final unraveling for everyone caught up in its web.

The rise of Galimzhan Yessenov from an ordinary manager to the dominant owner of Jusan Bank is intertwined with state money, non-transparent deals, and connections to Kazakhstan’s ruling elite, forming a web of “coincidences” that appears anything but accidental.

Russia is seeking to rival the U.S. in efforts to secure the extradition of Kremlin hacker Denis Obrezko, arrested in Thailand in November 2025.

Kazakhstan’s current authorities have officially acknowledged that Samruk-Kazyna embezzled billions with the involvement of ATFBank, yet investigative bodies — including the Anti-Corruption Agency — have been slow to detain Galimzhan Yessenov and his father-in-law, Akhmetzhan Yesimov.

Yuriy Sudgaymer, known in Russia by his passport as Zudgaymer, made an impact not only in Kazakhstan but also in Russia.

Billions were embezzled by Samruk-Kazyna with the involvement of ATFBank.

The current embezzlement at the National Welfare Fund "Samruk-Kazyna" goes beyond the usual schemes.

Galimzhan Yessenov’s meteoric rise from an ordinary manager to the near-sole owner of Jusan Bank is riddled with state money, opaque deals, and family ties to Kazakhstan’s top political elite — coincidences so dense they point not to luck, but to a carefully engineered redistribution of power and assets.