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Hello People! Online scams in Mongolia are no longer just a tech issue. They are becoming part of everyday life. Leaning into that reality, Unitel’s new “Once Upon a Time” campaign turns familiar fairy tales into warnings about the risks hiding behind screens. Take a look. 👀🫡

What’s inside today’s edition…

• 🇲🇳🇰🇿 $62.6 Million Export Deals

• 👀 Mongolia Emerges as a Bright Spot for Korean Brands

• 🎈 Why Mongolia’s 4 Free Zones Matter for Investors? 

We’ve got a lot to cover, so let’s get moving. 🐐

MARKET

FRC: The Global Money Week 2026 campaign has officially launched under the theme “Manage Your Money Wisely” in Mongolia.

MNG: Kazakh companies signed $62.6 million in export deals with Mongolian companies during a business mission in Ulaanbaatar.

BOM: Bank of Mongolia keeps policy rate at 12%.

👀 Mongolia Emerges as a Bright Spot for Korean Brands

South Korean products and services entering the Mongolian market are increasingly turning into breakout successes, with a steady stream of reports showing local performance strong enough to boost confidence at headquarters.

👍 Soft at Home, But Strong in Mongolia

As beer demand weakens in South Korea, brewers have been placing greater emphasis on overseas markets. That strategy appears to be paying off in countries such as Mongolia and Taiwan. Last year, South Korea’s beer exports to Taiwan surged nearly 700% year on year to 7.7 million liters, while exports to Mongolia reached 31,000 tonnes in the first eight months of the year. That amounted to 31.5% of South Korea’s total beer exports, making Mongolia the country’s largest beer export market.

🪻 A Fast-Growing Imported Beer Market

Among the brands benefiting from this trend is Lotte Chilsung’s Crush, which entered Mongolia’s domestic market in 2024 and recorded a sharp 90% increase in exports last year. The beer is reportedly sold in around 2,000 stores across Mongolia, underlining the breadth of its distribution network.

• 🔎 Other Korean brewers are also moving aggressively. HiteJinro has been expanding its beer strategy in Mongolia and recently began selling its new Kelly brand in partnership with CU. Meanwhile, OB Beer is supplying Cass to Mongolia through the global distribution network of AB InBev, the world’s largest brewer.

More broadly, beer is far from the only category where Korean brands are gaining traction. Pharmacies, coffee chains, and quick-service restaurants have also recorded strong early growth in Mongolia. Mega Coffee, for instance, opened 3 branches in its first year, while Mom’s Touch launched its second branch just 3 months after opening its first.

• 🍰 Dessert39 Mongolia also posted record first-year momentum, generating ₩57.3 million in revenue over 9 days before expanding to 3 branches. Over a longer timeline, Mom’s Touch has grown to 17 branches in 3 years, while Mega Coffee has opened 8 branches in 3 years.

• 💊 The pattern extends beyond food and beverages. Coldwon, a Korean cold syrup brand, generated $390,000 in sales revenue from Mongolia in 2022. That figure rose 53.8% to $600,000 the following year.

With numbers like these, it is hard to imagine that South Korean companies are not crafting Mongolia-specific growth strategies.

⭐ Selected for you

ECONOMY & BUSINESS

• TMK Raises $6M in Oversubscribed Placement. (TMKEnergy) 

• Mongolian Investment Rating Agency, MIRA, assigned a credit rating to NBFIs. (MIRA)

• Erdene Provides Notice of Release of Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2025 Results and Conference Call. (InvestingNews)

• The Government has Decided to Liquidate LLC "Erchist Mongolia," a SOE. (MBD)

POLITICS

• Mongolia Eyes Tax Exemption on Esports Prize Money. (IM)

• Mongolia Asks U.S. to Remove it From Visa Bond List. (MFA)

• ‘We are Being Silenced’: Mongolian Politicians Face Jail After Vote Calling for PM to Resign. (TheGuardian)

• Mongolia Supports Civic Space Reforms but Key Restrictions Remain. (Civicus)

• Successful Edition of Training for Diplomats from Central Asia and Mongolia. (Clingendael) 

• Mongolia to Establish Kazakh National Cultural Center. (UBN)

• Korea and Mongolia Sign Agreements on Patient Transportation and Staff Training. (OpenKG)

CULTURE & LIFESTYLE

• Illegal Hunting of Argali in Mongolia Could Result in ₮44M Fine. (TheStar) 

• Tsenkher River Placed Under Local Protection. (UBPost)

• Race Across the World Will Send Five Teams 12,000 km to Mongolia’s Northern Shore. (IMDb)

• Rare Discovery: Tiny-1 Centimetre Fossil Found in Mongolia’s Gobi Dessert Shocks Scientists. (TimesofIndia) 

• Mongolia ranks 75th in the 2025 World Happiness Index. (WHR)

🎈 Why Mongolia’s 4 Free Zones Matter for Investors?

With tax and customs exemptions, Mongolia’s 4 free zones remain one of the country’s clearest tools for attracting export-oriented investment.

💰 Tax Free Zones

Mongolia has 4 free zones, Altanbulag, Tsagaannuur, Zamiin-Uud, and Khushig Valley,  each operating under a special tax and customs regime outside the country’s regular customs territory. For investors, that structure matters because it can significantly lower the cost of importing equipment, moving goods, and building export-focused operations.

• 💎 The main draw is tax treatment. Under Mongolia’s legal framework, goods brought from overseas into a free zone are exempt from customs duties, VAT, and excise tax, while goods and services produced or sold within the zone by registered entities are also eligible for favorable tax treatment. 

• 👛 Exports from the zones to overseas markets are similarly treated more favorably, making the regime particularly relevant for manufacturing, logistics, trade, and tourism projects.

Geography adds to the appeal. Altanbulag sits near the Russian border, Zamiin-Uud anchors Mongolia’s main gateway to China, and Tsagaannuur offers western access through Bayan-Ulgii. Khushig Valley, the newest and largest, is being developed near Chinggis Khaan International Airport as a longer-term hub for logistics, trade, and airport-linked commercial activity.

Overall, Mongolia’s 4 free zones remain one of the country’s most practical tools for attracting foreign investment, combining tax relief, customs advantages and strategic access to Russia, China and wider trade routes. While execution still varies by zone, the outlook is supported by the government’s push to update the legal framework for free zones and improve the broader investment environment. For exporters, manufacturers and logistics players, that makes the free-zone model a developing opportunity worth watching.

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Publisher: Ts.Ankhbayar
Writer: M.Khulan
Graphics by: Ts.Tselmeg

Disclaimer: The information Inside Mongolia provides is for educational and informational purposes only. It is not intended to be or constitute financial advice, trading advice, or any other advice. The decision whether to consider the information we provide is solely our readers' independent decision.