VEON Partners with MeetKai to Develop Sovereign AI Solutions for Underserved Languages

VEON stock jumps after strategic AI partnership with MeetKai By Investing.com

Investing.com -- VEON Ltd. (NASDAQ:VEON) stock rose 4.1% Tuesday after the global digital operator announced a strategic partnership with sovereign AI firm MeetKai to develop locally-governed artificial intelligence capabilities across its operating markets. The collaboration aims to create and train next-generation large language models through VEON's software company QazCode, enabling AI services in local languages across VEON's footprint of Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Ukraine, Pakistan, and Bangladesh, serving over 150 million customers. The partnership will focus on building AI foundations that respect data sovereignty while developing culturally fluent and linguistically inclusive AI systems operated within each country's borders. This approach aligns with domestic regulatory requirements in VEON's markets. "AI is a critically important and pervasive technology, yet today most global resources are concentrated on a small number of widely spoken languages," said Oleksii Sharavar, CEO of QazCode. "VEON believes we have a responsibility to bring the benefits of augmented intelligence to the countries we serve." The companies plan to develop AI-based digital services across education, healthcare, agriculture technology, public services, and enterprise productivity. These will include AI agents similar to QazCode's Aventa, designed to operate across multiple languages and tailored to local community needs. The initiative builds on QazCode's previous work developing large language models for under-resourced languages, including KazLLM, the first Kazakh large language model. This article was generated with the support of AI and reviewed by an editor. For more information see our T&C.

QazCode, Software Company of VEON Ltd. Signs Cooperation Agreement with MeetKai for Development and Training of Language Models

VEON Ltd. announced that its software company QazCode has signed a cooperation agreement with the sovereign AI firm MeetKai for the development and training of language models for new AI-based digital products across VEON Group. The partnership covers the development and training of language model for digital products in the five markets where VEON Group operates: Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Ukraine, Pakistan, and Bangladesh. QazCode and MeetKai will work together on the development of regional AI solutions with enhanced local languages capabilities, support for regional dialects and better understanding of local cultural nuances. MeetKai will train the models, with QazCode managing data, local computing resources, and technological adaptation for use in development of localised AI applications. Teams from VEON's five operating companies will also be involved to ensure that the AI properly understands the language and cultural context of each country. This collaboration will pave the way for the launch of new products, from educational and health care services to agritech and corporate platforms with AI agents like Aventa, which will be able to operate in the languages spoken across VEON's markets. The partnership builds on QazCode's and VEON's track records as AI innovators. QazCode pioneered the development of LLMs for under-resourced languages with KazLLM, the first Kazakhstan large language model, which received the GSMA Foundry Excellence Award in 2025. QazCode has since developed a portfolio of consumer and enterprise AI-based digital products. VEON has been at the forefront of connected AI for consumer services, and its operating companies have launched an AI tutor and integrated AI into their consumer apps, as well as operating with local institutions to develop local language LLMs for Ukraine and Pakistan. VEON has also partnered with the GSMA and Barcelona Supercomputing Center to develop LLMs for under-res sourced languages globally.