The Board Journal, an international digital business magazine based in Frankfurt, Germany, published an article on Mongolia's developing economy on February 13, 2025.

“In the middle of East Asia, a country is striving for a strategic position in the global economy: Mongolia has rich mineral resources such as rare earths, which are important for the production of quantum chips. At the same time, the government is pushing ahead with major infrastructure projects in terms of renewable energies and transport, and is focusing on a “digital-first strategy”, export of high-quality consumer goods and tourism. This results in interesting business approaches for entrepreneurs and executives in the “Wolf Economy”.

In the endless steppe of the Gobi Desert, four motorcyclists race along a track, dragging a long cloud of dust behind them. Passing steep rock faces of the Gobi Gurvansaikhan National Park, they reach Khongoryn Els, where huge sand dunes meet the Altai Mountains with the 4,000-meter-high Altai peak. The group’s destination is the “Ger Camp” – a small tent city. In the round, white-grey, house-high and fully equipped tents, the drivers find shelter for the night.

Experiential tourism generates visitor growth

“Experiencing Mongolia’s nature and traveling individually has attracted many international tourists over the past twenty years,” says Ganhuyag Chuluun Hutagt and shows a promotional video with impressive drone footage. The entrepreneur and former Vice-Minister of Finance points to a strong growth in visitors. In 2023, 593,000 tourists came to Mongolia. Between 2000 and 2019, the number of international visitors increased 13-fold. The fact that visa-free entry can be made from 61 countries has also contributed to this.

Cashmere and vodka as export hits

In addition to adventure tourism, Mongolia focuses on high-quality consumer goods. About 50% of the world’s cashmere wool is produced in the landlocked country and distributed worldwide. “Mongolia is also known globally for premium vodka of the Chinggis Khan brand,” says Gan, raising his glass. The basis for this is strong agriculture, which has a strong potential for international manufacturers of agricultural machinery and modern agricultural technologies.

Mineral resources are the backbone of the economy

The backbone of the Mongolian economy, however, is mining, which contributes around a quarter of the gross domestic product. Coal and copper (top 5 export country) are mined in particular, as well as zinc, iron, uranium, tungsten or fluorspar (top 4 export country). Gold production increased 26-fold within 20 years to 2022. “In addition, we can offer a strategically interesting alternative to China with rare earths such as cobalt or terbium,” Gan emphasizes. Because only a fraction of Mongolia’s territory has been explored so far, specialized companies find considerable business potential in this area.

Renewable energies and transport expanded

In order to become less dependent on energy and logistics from Russia, the Mongolian government is pushing ahead with major infrastructure projects. “We have about 300 days of sunshine per year. Mongolia therefore offers enormous opportunities for solar and wind power companies, especially for solar energy,” says Gan, pointing out that the total potential of renewable energies is estimated at 3,300 gigawatts. By 2030, the share of electricity from solar and wind is to be one third. In addition, the government wants to expand regional connections in the 1.5 million square kilometre country (3 times the size of France) through new roads and railway lines. This offers interesting starting points for construction companies from all over the world.

Digital transformation and young population

In addition, the Mongolian government is pushing ahead with the country’s digital transformation. More than 1,000 administrative services are to be bundled on a digital platform for citizens and companies. At the same time, work is being done to connect rural regions with fast internet through satellite networks such as Starlink. Together with cooperation partners from all over the world (including Google), the digital skills of the population and the economy are to be expanded.

For international companies investing in Mongolia, the population of around 3.5 million people, including more than 1.7 million people in the capital Ulaanbaatar alone, offers attractive potential: 2.1 million inhabitants are under 35 years of age, of which 1.26 million are under the age of 18 – interesting with regard to consumers and employees.

Returnees awaken the wolf economy

In light of the dynamic economic growth, Ganhuyag Chuluun Hutagt described Mongolia already years ago as the “wolf economy“. This term was later spread by the Russian investment bank Renaissance Capital, which referred to Mongolia as the “new Asian tiger” or “Mongolian wolf”. Author Johan Nylander has also taken up this term for his book “The Wolf Economy Awakens”, published in 2023, in which he describes the developments of the democratic system and economic prospects for Mongolia. He reports on innovators and entrepreneurs who have returned after years abroad, importing new impulses – and thus awaken Mongolia’s wolf economy.

Some key facts:

· 3.5 million people overall population

· 50% growth for number of employment (2000-2023)

· B+ / B+ / B2 rating (2023)

· Capital: Ulaanbaatar

· 6.9% GDP growth (2015-2023)

· 4.9% GDP per capita growth (2015-2023)

· 11.3% FDI to GDP ration (2023)

· 46.8% Debt to GPD ratio (2023)

· 6.7% inflation rate (Q3 2024)

· 6.1% unemployment rate (Q3 2024)

· Foreign Direct Investment: 6.5bn USD (2022/23)

· China biggest trade partner: 14.2bn USD (Q3 2024), i.e. 69.6% of Mongolia’s total trade

· Switzerland second-largest trading partner

· Import tariff: 5-20%

· NewCo can be established within 24 hours”

//www.boardjournal.net/2025/02/13/the-wolf-economy-awakens/

At the invitation of Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress of the People’s Republic of China Zhao Leji, Chairman of the State Great Khural of Mongolia Amarbayasgalan Dashzegve will pay an official visit to the People’s Republic of China on February 24-27, 2025.

This official visit is the first visit by the Head of Parliament of Mongolia to the People’s Republic of China in 11 years.

This visit aims at developing the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between Mongolia and the People’s Republic of China, maintaining the frequency of high-level mutual visits, strengthening mutual understanding and political trust, and deepening cooperation between the two countries’ highest legislative bodies.

The Immigration Agency of Mongolia has independently managed the issuance and printing of residence permits for foreign nationals since April 1, 2023. These permits are issued at the One-Stop Service Center (OSSC) in Chingeltei district.

The Government of Mongolia has expanded the channels for issuing residence permits by introducing a self-service kiosk machine. The kiosk has been installed at the OSSC for Investors and is now operational and located in Government Building No. 11.

Inviting citizens of business entities can get residence permits for foreign nationals, renewals, or change the type of inviter and request re-issuance through the online service system. When applying, they must select the “Residence Permit Printing Kiosk” option. Once the request is approved and the permit is printed, the applicant will receive a notification, allowing them to collect their residence permit from the kiosk machine.

To print the residence permit, the authorized representative of the applicant (the individual or organization that submitted the request) must enter their registration number and the phone number registered with the DAN system. A one-time password (OTP) will be sent to the registered phone number for verification. Upon entering the OTP, the user will gain access to the system and can print the residence permit within 2-5 minutes, ensuring a fast and efficient process.

Kyrgyzstan increased its export of goods to Mongolia by 5.2 times in 2024 compared to 2023, according to the National Statistics Committee.

Exports amounted to $8.9 million at the end of the year.

Chocolate worth $5 million, bread and flour confectionery worth $1.8 million, and other food products worth $1.1 million were supplied.

The import of goods from Mongolia decreased by 40% to $1.3 million in 2024.

Cars, cosmetics, skin and hair care products, cheeses and cottage cheese, fertilizers, tea, wool, sugar, leather suitcases were imported.

China finished as the top team in Group C of the FIBA Asia Cup 2025 Qualifiers after downing Guam, 86-78, at the Calvo Fieldhouse Sunday.

Far from their dominant form against Japan last Thursday, Team Dragon did just enough especially down the stretch to pull off the victory - a result that proved crucial for the bottom two in the pool that included the very team they just beat.

The Guamanians, despite the defeat, managed to clinch the third spot with a 1-5 record as they avoided losing by 24 or more against the traditional contenders.

Mongolia, who earlier yielded to Japan by way of an 89-79 result in Ulaanbaatar, needed the team of Coach EJ Calvo to lose by that many points in order to secure the said seeding and enter the Qualifying Tournament for Third-Place Teams.

But Guam were just too tough a nut to crack, so much so that they threatened to pull off an upset against the Chinese when they cut what was once a 16-point deficit to just seven, 83-76, behind a Takumi Simon triple from the corner with 1:03 to go.

Zhu Junlong, however, answered back with a trey of his own to push their lead back to a decade, 86-76, with 36.3 seconds left, all but sealing the result.

As tough as it was to lose on home soil again, Guam kept their heads up high as they're set to compete in the final qualification phase for the tournament proper.

Mongolia, on the other hand, may have to wait for another four years for a crack at the Asia Cup as they bowed out of contention with a record similar to that of Guam.

Yang Hansen top-scored for China with 19 points on 7-of-8 shooting and 9 rebounds. Zhao Rui finished with a 15-5-5 stat line, while Hu Jinqiu supplied 14 points as the charges of Coach Guo Shiqiang finished the Qualifiers with a 5-1 record.

Leading Guam's brave stand was veteran center Tai Wesley with a game-high 32 points and 8 rebounds as he made it hard for China's younger frontline.

Japan survive Blue Wolves scare

Finishing second in Group C, meanwhile, are Japan (5-1) after surviving the Blue Wolves at the UG Arena in easily one of the Qualifiers' most thrilling matches.

Ren Kanechika landed the biggest of blows down the stretch, hitting two three-pointers that changed the complexion of the game after the team caught itself staring at a one-point deficit, 78-79, with exactly four minutes left.

He nailed the first to give themselves the lead for good, 81-79, and then made another one shortly after Alex Kirk's split from the line for the dagger, 85-79, approaching the final two minutes that took the fight out of their foes.

A two-handed jam by Kirk and then a floater by Kai Toews proved to be the icing on the cake as the AKATSUKI JAPAN closed the game with 11 unanswered points.

Kirk top-scored in the triumph with an impressive double-double of 24 points on 8-of-10 shooting from the field - he was 8-of-10 as well from the charity stripe - and 17 rebounds, together with 2 assists and 2 blocks to net an efficiency of 40.

Toews finished with 23 points, spiked by five treys, 5 rebounds, and 8 assists with 3 steals. Kanechika supplied 15 points on a quintet of threes as well, as both players submitted their best performances of the tourney in their campaign closer.

Three players also finished in double figures for the gallant Mongolia, with guard Margad Erdenetsetseg leading the way with 14 points on three treys.

Azbayar Antangerel made 13 points while Enkhbayasgalan Amarbayasgalan added 11, including four straight to give them the 79-78 lead that gave hope to a side that was looking to boost their bid of claiming the no. 3 spot in the group.

But then, Kanechika happened as Japan refused to give up, putting together a strong windup in another proof of why they're one of the favorites in the Asia Cup.

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The government’s response to date, however, has only confirmed perceptions that it isn’t serious about tackling the issue.

Mongolia’s air pollution crisis has reached its peak, with an estimated 7,000-plus Mongolians dying each year from polluted air. The public is not sitting idle. Since January, activists and families of victims of air pollution have called for action, demanding a public hearing with the government. The process of having that dialogue, though, illustrated underlining issues in media coverage, low attendance, and the coal producers’ conflict of interest.

On February 3 and 4, the Standing Committee on Environment, Food and Agriculture of the State Great Hural of Mongolia held a National General Oversight Hearing on the “implementation of policies and decisions on smog, and solutions within the framework of air pollution reduction.” The February hearings, co-initiated by civil society organizations led by Breathe Mongolia, incited national attention and a peaceful demonstration demanding urgent action on hazardous air pollution levels. The petition collected over 71,000 signatures within 10 days, reaching the required amount for it to be considered by the State Great Hural.

According to the Mongolian parliament, the public hearing was attended by 15 out of 126 parliamentarians, representatives from 29 government organizations, 60 civil society organizations, and seven expert analysts.

The hearing was organized throughout the month of January with Clean Air Coalition and air quality professionals in Mongolia. Before opening it to the public, organizers specified that there were four sessions of pre-hearing discussions. The process, however, highlighted several major realities in Mongolia’s efforts to combat air pollution.

According to participants who were part of the organizing body, the air pollution pre-hearing discussions were not widely shared, with limited media coverage. Not only that, but participation and encouragement from government representatives was extremely low.

The participation of the legislative branch is crucial in the process of improving air pollution and solving the protracted public health issues. However, the number of members of parliament present during the hearing barely reached a quorum. Key decision-makers, including the ministers of energy and health, did not attend and the mayor of Ulaanbaatar attended only one out of four pre-hearing discussions, drawing criticism.

This was not an aberration. Air pollution public hearing processes in Mongolia are notoriously ineffective. The hearings beg the question of who is ultimately responsible for the issue: the government or the coal producers. Air pollution has thus become a deep socioeconomic topic, to which neither academic panels nor public hearings can truly offer a solution. The public’s sentiment going into the hearing was also divided, with many questioning the efficacy of the process.

In the end, the public hearing was an exercise in compiling and confirming evidence and statistics rather than offering an analysis of policy failures or a clear, decisive action to eliminate pollution, contrary to what the public demanded.

A 2021 audit report found that, between 2017-2020, 67.8 percent of planned activities under the National Program for Reducing Air and Environmental Pollution had not been implemented. Many see this as the government’s double-speak on combating air pollution – and the lack of action is catching up to Mongolia, over 7,000 dying each year.

For years, discussion of air pollution was sidestepped, with responsibility shuffled around to the point where it was almost avoided. Despite the international community’s outcry, Mongolia’s air pollution levels continue to grow. The subject begged for answers and solutions, yet was practically a taboo. The failed communication and lack of policy coordination between the Ministries of Environment, Energy, and Health, and the Municipality of Ulaanbaatar needs to be addressed. Mongolia’s air pollution crisis has always been a multilayered issue, concerning coal producers, coal users, government policies, and the public. Yet to this day, there is no evidence of a coordinated effort to truly tackle air pollution through government policies.

A striking case in point is the alarming rise carbon monoxide poisoning following a ban on household use of raw coal. Coal briquettes were offered as an alternative, with the goal of reducing air pollution from coal burning in the capital. But the consequences have been dire. In Ulaanbaatar, cute carbon monoxide poisoning cases surged as much as 50-fold following the 2019 ban on household use of raw coal. According to the head of the public hearing organizing working group, 779 lives had been lost to carbon monoxide poisoning between 2017 and 2024. As of February 19, 2025, that figure has reportedly risen to 811 deaths.

During the public hearing process, government bodies and officials from relevant stakeholders – such as those representing Tavan Tolgoi Tulsh LLC, which produces the government-subsidized coal briquettes suspected of contributing to the carbon monoxide poisonings – seemed more focused on defending their policies and positions than finding solutions. To businesses that profit from coal briquettes, addressing public health impacts seemed like a secondary concern. Many answers were generalized; questions were deflected or left unanswered with no clear follow-up mechanism.

It is fair to say that, since the raw coal ban in 2019, there hasn’t been any large-scale action to address air pollution in Mongolia. The National Committee on Air and Environmental Pollution Reduction was dismantled in December 2023, ripping apart what was supposed to be the main institutional framework to coordinate air quality policies and conduct monitoring and evaluation.

From the early days of this year’s petition demanding action on air pollution until the end of the public hearings, the elephant in the room was the hyper-politicization of the topic. Pledges on various measures to improve air quality – from reducing dependence on coal for domestic heating to expanding energy and transportation infrastructure – have been used for political advantage for decades with little follow-through. The empty promises and their repeated narrative haunt discussions of people’s lives and well-being.

The government has spent nearly $500 million to address air pollution since 2008. Of that, almost one-fifth was found to have been misallocated, misused, or riddled with spending discrepancies.

At the public hearing, there was a sense of understanding that air pollution is now recognized as a national issue, moving away from the narrow definition of the problem as restricted to the capital city of Ulaanbaatar. Some noticeable narrative shifts occurred during the hearing. Some decision-makers concluded that the 2019 decision to monopolize coal briquette production under the state-owned Tavan Tolgoi Tulsh was flawed and potentially led to fuel quality issues. Several parliamentary members acknowledged the insulation of gers and houses in informal settlement areas as an important step to reduce fuel consumption.

The hearing showed widespread agreement on the need to increase private-sector involvement to diversify pathways toward cleaner, safer energy sources. There were also positive signs of moving away from the insidious narrative of blaming ger districts residents for being polluters and instead seeing the systemic failures that are highlighted by the socioeconomic issues of those in poverty.

The Mongolian public demands political will to solve air pollution, reverse public dependency on coal-based heating systems, and show interest and care in information-sharing on air pollution. Air pollution is indeed a sensitive topic, yet the deaths of 811 people has not sparked a moment of reflection or accountability. The Mongolian public asks: who is responsible for these deaths, and what action is the current government is doing to prevent further deaths?

by Enkhuun Byambadorj

Enkhuun Byambadorj is the co-founder and director of operations at Breathe Mongolia – Clean Air Coalition. She is based out of Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.

Bolor Lkhaajav

Bolor Lkhaajav is a researcher specializing in Mongolia, China, Russia, Japan, East Asia, and the Americas. She holds an M.A. in Asia-Pacific Studies from the University of San Francisco.

In February 2025, the Government of Mongolia priced a US$500 million 5-year bond issuance and completed a concurrent public tender offer to repurchase its outstanding 2026 and 2028 US dollar bonds as part of the Government’s debt neutral policy.

This transaction is Crédit Agricole CIB's first-ever Asian frontier sovereign deal and the first Asian high-yield sovereign bond issue in 2025. Frontier markets are a sub-segment of the global emerging markets space with increasing appetite for funding and capital to support domestic development and growth. Crédit Agricole CIB acted as joint bookrunner, joint lead manager and joint dealer manager on the transaction.

Debt issuers from frontier markets including Mongolia have been increasingly seeking foreign funding to develop their local economies. The Government of Mongolia, as a prime example, has been tapping the debt market for capital to support the country's long-term social and economic development – including the renewable energy, tourism, and agricultural sectors – to diversify the economy as part of its Vision 2050 recovery policy.

Mongolia presents attractive opportunities for investors as the country continues to seek ways to grow its economy sustainably while strengthening its governance. Its progress has been recognised by rating agencies with a rating upgrade last year.

This deal is a testament of Crédit Agricole CIB's commitment and ability to service frontier clients in achieving its long-term funding and liability management objectives.

This transaction is a breakthrough for our DCM franchise – marking our first-ever Asian frontier sovereign deal and the first Asian high-yield sovereign bond issue in 2025. Mongolia represents an attractive market opportunity for debt investors, and we look forward to explore more opportunities in this market.

Tim Fang

Head of Debt Capital Markets for Greater China

The Government of Mongolia issued a USD 500 million bond with an interest rate of 6.625 and a maturity of five years under the “Century IV” project and began trading it on the international securities market.

The initial order for the newly issued bond exceeded the trading volume by 8.2 times, reaching USD 4.1 billion. In connection with this, the bond risk premium of Mongolia has decreased to 2.27 percent, allowing the bond interest rate to be set below the secondary market interest rate.

The Government of Mongolia managed next year's repayment of the "Nomad" and "Century-II" bonds by buying them back with the trading of the "Century-IV" bond. This improves Mongolia's debt sustainability by enabling the country to pay off the remaining payments on the "Nomad" bond without burdening the budget or economy. This was a crucial step in reducing the amount of external debt and ensuring macroeconomic stability, according to the Ministry of Finance of Mongolia.

By trading the "Century-IV" bond, Mongolia managed to issue bonds with interest rates lower by 0.1-0.4 percentage points than the bonds of countries that have higher credit ratings including Uzbekistan, Brazil, and the Dominican Republic. This opens up the opportunity for domestic enterprises to attract low-cost financial resources from international financial markets.

The Mining Department of the Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources has conducted an in-depth study on the prospects of zinc in Mongolia, taking into account factors such as the global zinc market, the country’s zinc geology, exploration and exploitation licenses, current exploitation status and future development potential.

Mongolia is home to 11 metallogenic provinces and regions with zinc-containing mixed metal prospects, boasting 139 occurrences and 10 deposits with a total of 106.7 million tons of zinc resources. Recorded zinc reserves stand at 2.18 million tons.

Currently, five zinc and zinc-containing mixed metal deposit projects are in operation. Since 2016, these projects have provided 940 to 2,430 jobs annually, produced and exported between 100,000 and 150,000 tons of zinc concentrate, generated sales revenues ranging from 207 to 639 billion MNT, and contributed 44 billion to 517 billion MNT in taxes and fees to both state and local budgets. Additionally, there are 17 projects in the feasibility study phase that are expected to produce zinc-containing products in the future.

Looking ahead, the country is set to see a significant boost in zinc production. The 22 projects that are either ready for operation or already underway will create 5,644 jobs over the next 40 years, from 2024 to 2063. These projects are expected to produce 18.04 million tons of zinc products, containing 2.1 million tons of zinc, generating a total of 19.1 trillion MNT in sales revenue, and contributing 4.5 trillion MNT to state and local budgets.

On average, these projects will employ between 67 and 804 people annually, produce and export 1,700 to 164,200 tons of zinc concentrate each year, generate 4.9 billion MNT to 1.5 trillion MNT in sales revenue, and pay 0.8 billion MNT to 437.8 billion MNT in taxes and fees to the state and local budgets. This substantial growth in the zinc sector is poised to contribute significantly to Mongolia’s economy and employment in the coming decades, the study says.