Tajikistan Trade & ICT: Tajikistan’s foreign trade turnover jumped to $7.94bn in Jan–July 2026 (+42.3% y/y), with exports up 57.2% to $1.78bn and imports up 38.6% to $6.16bn, leaving a $4.38bn deficit; meanwhile, the ICT services market reached TJS 3.07bn in H1 (+24.6% y/y), showing faster growth in transport, storage, information and communications. Regional Connectivity & Diplomacy: Tajikistan and Turkmenistan held political consultations in which both sides flagged expanding trade, energy, transport and communications, plus renewed intergovernmental commission work; Tajikistan’s transport minister also met China’s ambassador to discuss transport infrastructure cooperation aimed at easing trade and humanitarian exchanges. SCO Momentum: Ahead of the Aug 31–Sep 1 SCO summit in Bishkek, coverage highlights India’s growing role and a broader agenda spanning security, cybercrime, connectivity and economic cooperation—key themes for Tajikistan’s regional business outlook. Energy & Finance Signals: Kazakhstan’s electricity deficit plans and the wider Central Asia power picture remain in focus, while fintech firm Ovanti outlined plans for programmable financial rails across Asia that could eventually support cross-border trade finance relevant to the region. Food Imports Watch: Russian phytosanitary authorities supervised imports of 1.1k tons of high-risk plant products through the Chelyabinsk checkpoint, including onions from Kazakhstan and dried fruits from Tajikistan, with no quarantine violations reported.