Asylkhan, you lead the "Yandex Maps API" business in Central Asia. Can you briefly explain what this direction entails?
— In short, "Yandex Maps API" is "Yandex Maps" for businesses. This means it provides tools that allow companies to utilize Yandex's geoinformation technologies and tailor them to their needs—from the simplest to the most complex.
To make it easier for companies to navigate our products, we have divided them into three key categories: interactive maps, geocoding and search, as well as navigation solutions. Overall, it’s like a constructor: you can build both a house and a spaceship—it all depends on your imagination and requirements.
For instance, using "Yandex Maps API" products, a company can integrate a custom map with its brand design on its website or simplify the online order process by automating address entry. You can add navigation features to your own courier and driver application or implement a control system for outbound employees. Alternatively, you can use geolocation features to drive relevant traffic to your website and increase advertising effectiveness. There are many scenarios.
In which industries are your solutions applied?
— Our products are beneficial for e-commerce, retail, and logistics, as well as banks, food tech, ride tech, telecom, automotive, and real estate. Essentially, they are useful for anyone who needs to work with maps: searching for addresses, displaying company branches or pickup points, moving cargo, or delivering goods or products.
Imagine you are a marketplace and need to convert user-specified addresses during order processing into coordinates. Users often input these addresses with errors and typos. You need to organize delivery, so it's crucial to obtain precise coordinates, even down to the entrance, and plot the optimal route considering traffic conditions, weather, and the type of transportation used by the courier. Our geocoding and routing solutions come into play here.
Another example: a bank wants to add a map of its branches and ATMs to its website so that clients can plan routes to them or check branch hours. Our interactive maps will be useful here: their design can be customized to fit the bank's overall corporate style. You can use your brand colors, remove unnecessary nearby objects, or, conversely, add essential information about branches. You receive not just a map, but a complete mapping service that you can configure to your specifications.
So, do larger businesses predominantly use "Yandex Maps API" products? Are your solutions also appealing to the SMB segment?
— Absolutely. We work with both corporations and small to medium-sized businesses. In fact, the number of companies from the SMB segment among our clients exceeds that of large enterprises.
To ensure our solutions are accessible to everyone, regardless of business scale, we offer a wide range of pricing plans for using our products. They can be paid monthly or annually—an annual subscription is more cost-effective for the client.
Additionally, small businesses can use key "Yandex Maps API" products for free—provided they meet certain conditions and stay within open limits.
It seems that nearly all types of businesses utilize your products. But do regular users realize that your technologies may be behind the services they use?
In a way, yes. People don’t always understand that behind fast order processing or timely delivery lie our geoinformation technologies. But this is expected, as our goal is to help companies make their operations more efficient, contributing to the development and growth of their businesses.
Currently, the competition for user attention is so high that improving customer loyalty has become a priority for any business. People have become accustomed to the availability of products at the click of a button and are dissatisfied if a courier is even a few minutes late. If a company fulfills its commitments and delivers on time, customers trust it more and are more likely to return.
Businesses understand this, which is why they are automating many processes for operational efficiency and satisfied customers. Companies in Kazakhstan now realize that using geoinformation solutions is not just a trendy move, but a basic necessity that impacts overall business effectiveness.
Are there any preferences for your products among businesses in Kazakhstan? Which APIs or SDKs do they choose most often?
— When it comes to specific products, clients in Kazakhstan most frequently opt for the JavaScript API and "Geocoder" as a comprehensive solution for integrating interactive maps and searching for addresses on the map. They also often select GeoSuggest for quick address input and verification, and Distance Matrix for optimizing routes.
This is quite logical, as Kazakhstan is a key logistics hub in Central Asia. According to a recent report by the AFSA, over the past 15 years, our country has invested more than $35 billion in transportation and logistics. Quality routing and up-to-date maps are crucial for these industries.
How do you assess the conditions for entrepreneurship development in Kazakhstan, especially for young entrepreneurs?
— The entrepreneurial climate in Kazakhstan is impressive due to the high energy, professionalism, and ambition of its businesspeople. We see that they are not limited to local projects but are successfully competing on the international stage.
Additionally, startups are actively developing in Kazakhstan. More and more Kazakhstani projects are receiving international awards—this is a source of pride. Our company is eager to support local entrepreneurs, which is why we launched a special Startup Program that provides access to Yandex technologies under favorable conditions. Participants in the program will be able to utilize "Yandex Maps API" solutions, "Yandex Weather" technologies, Yandex Cloud infrastructure, and Yandex's advertising capabilities to launch and rapidly develop their projects.
Since we are talking about startups: many of them are currently focusing on AI. Are you using these technologies in your solutions? Or perhaps offering opportunities for startups to develop in this area?
— Yes, of course, AI technologies have permeated all sectors, and geoservices are no exception. Many think that AI is just chatbots where you discuss life or ask for a draft text. We use it differently. We apply artificial intelligence to create modern and flexible solutions that help our clients outpace their competitors.
For example, when obtaining route details to plot a path from point A to point B, it does not just draw a line on the map but, like an experienced navigator, considers dozens of factors: traffic jams, weather conditions, time of day, season, and even how drivers typically behave in that area. This is achieved through machine learning mechanisms.
Or take our AI-based "Geocoder," which we developed specifically for Kazakhstan and trained using requests from local residents. When someone types “ленена 57”—yes, exactly that, with mistakes and typos—the system understands that it refers to the address “Almaty, Dostyk Avenue, 57” (formerly Lenin Street). It’s like a smart conversational partner who understands you halfway, even if you just woke up and haven’t had your coffee yet.
So, our application of AI is not about entertainment, but about solving specific, practical business tasks.
It does sound quite technological. Do regular users, not businesses, use your products for automotive navigation in any way?
— We are already working with automotive manufacturers who integrate navigation into their vehicles using our NaviKit SDK solution. Drivers of these cars plot routes using our technologies.
This means that products designed for businesses also benefit end users, particularly truck drivers: we create separate solutions for them that ease their work. For instance, with the "Route Details" product, they can build routes on permitted roads considering the weight and dimensions of their trucks, as well as minimize left turns, which are significant obstacles for large trucks. Our API helps enhance safety, ease maneuvering, and reduce travel time.
The value for companies and individuals is clear. But looking at a broader perspective: what do you think about the "Smart City" system being implemented by the government of Kazakhstan? Can your solutions be of help here?
— I see great potential in how Kazakhstan plans to approach the digitalization of its cities. Automated traffic management, smart traffic lights, electronic boards with schedules, digital management of city parking—these would significantly ease life for both drivers and pedestrians. I say this as a resident of Almaty.
Our solutions can already not only show traffic jams in real-time but also predict where and when they will occur. If we add smart bus stops with Wi-Fi and boards with transport