EON Ltd. (Nasdaq: VEON), a global digital operator (“VEON”), today announced that QazCode, VEON’s software company, has signed a strategic cooperation agreement with the sovereign AI firm MeetKai to develop and train next-generation large language models that will enable deployment of local-language agentic AI services across VEON’s operating markets.
This strategic sovereign partnership is designed to accelerate the creation of nationally governed AI capabilities that are culturally fluent, linguistically inclusive, and securely operated within each country’s borders. MeetKai’s Sovereign AI platform provides an end-to-end, customizable national AI stack — enabling countries to govern how models are trained, hosted, and deployed, aligned to domestic regulatory and data sovereignty requirements.
The cooperation will enable VEON to scale safe, locally relevant AI digital services for over 150 million customers across Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Ukraine, Pakistan, and Bangladesh. It is expected to pave the way for a new generation of AI-based digital services across VEON markets — spanning areas like education, healthcare, agritech, public services, and enterprise productivity. These offerings will include AI agents similar to QazCode’s Aventa, capable of operating seamlessly across the languages spoken in VEON’s footprint, and tailored to the daily needs of local communities and businesses.
“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 — through large language models trained not only on words, but on local context. This partnership with MeetKai allows us to build sovereign, locally governed AI foundations that will help catalyze future AI developments across our markets.”
"True sovereign AI means countries decide how their models are built, governed, and deployed,” said James Kaplan, Co-Founder and CEO of MeetKai. “Through this partnership with QazCode and VEON, we’re proud to serve over 150 million people with national AI stacks that respect data sovereignty and deliver real, committed value in their language.”
QazCode and MeetKai will work directly with VEON’s operating companies and local expert teams to ensure that every deployed model and agent reflects the language, history, and cultural norms of each nation.
The partnership builds on QazCode’s leadership in developing LLMs for under-resourced languages and VEON’s broader commitment to inclusive digital growth. In Kazakhstan, QazCode pioneered national AI capability with KazLLM, the first Kazakh large language model — establishing a foundation for sovereign-grade AI services and local-language innovation.
