Dollar Soars, Animal Euthanasia Debated, Women's Retirement Age to Rise

The Kazakhstani tenge weakened significantly against the US dollar on Wednesday, April 8. Following a truce announcement between the US and Iran, the average weighted exchange rate on the Kazakhstan Stock Exchange (KASE) settled at 475.31 tenge per dollar, marking a sharp increase of 12.32 tenge from the previous close.

In Almaty exchange offices, the average rates were 476.54 tenge for buying and 479.42 tenge for selling. In Astana, the rates were 472.96 and 480.00 tenge respectively.

The currency movement coincided with a steep drop in global oil prices after US President Donald Trump stated he agreed to suspend strikes on Iran for two weeks, with Tehran responding by expressing readiness to open the Strait of Hormuz. The price of Brent crude oil fell from a range of $107-110 per barrel on April 7 to around $93 per barrel overnight.

In parliament, lawmakers discussed controversial amendments to animal welfare legislation aimed at controlling the stray animal population. Deputy Edil Zhambyrshin argued that current measures have failed, citing an increase in captured animals from 190,000 in 2022 to approximately 276,000 by early January 2026.

The proposed bill advocates for a shift to non-returnable capture—meaning euthanasia for caught animals—and would eliminate state-funded vaccination programs for strays. It also introduces mandatory registration and microchipping for pets.

Separately, Vice Minister of Labor and Social Protection Victoria Shegai confirmed that the retirement age for women in Kazakhstan will continue to be raised gradually until it reaches 63 years, aligning it with the age for men.

She explained that this policy is partly designed to ensure higher future pension payments by extending individuals' participation in the accumulative pension system.