A Kazakhstan court has overturned a ruling that banned the media from publishing criticism of President Nursultan Nazarbayev's son-in-law.

(SRI) - Bad loans remain the main systemic risk for Kazakh banks while liquidity and currency risks are gradually declining, Kazakhstan's central bank said Monday, citing its survey of the country's commercial banks.

BTA Bank , the second-largest bank in Kazakhstan, sought bankruptcy protection in the United States to protect itself from U.S. creditors while it restructures $11.6 billion of debt at home.

The visit of Kazakhstani Foreign Minister Kanat Saudabayev to Washington in early February failed to produce any agreements on pressing issues, according to US State Department officials.

Kazakhstan, the largest economy in Central Asia, is set for recovery after a bumpy 2009 in a process dependent on a number of external and domestic factors.

Federal authorities want companies to know that the cost of paying bribes to win overseas contracts is growing steeper by the day.