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Fintech inKazakhstan,Uzbekistan,Kyrgyzstan,Azerbaijan,Tajikistan•Unified QR in Kazakhstan•Islamic banking inKazakhstan,Uzbekistan•AI inKazakhstan,Uzbekistan•BNPL in Central Asia•Regulators of Central Asia•Payment systems of Central Asia

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Market profile · Updated May 28, 2026

Fintech landscape of Kazakhstan🇰🇿

The region’s most mature fintech market: banking ecosystems, 98%+ cashless card transactions, the digital tenge, and a separate AIFC/AFSA framework.

АнонсыРеклама
ContextKey metrics 38Market players 34Market companies 154News 6Topics 13Events 4

Context

Kazakhstan sets the pace for the region: major banks are building ecosystems around payments, marketplaces, and investments, while AIFC/AFSA remains a separate regulatory perimeter for international fintech companies.

Over the past few years, fintech in Kazakhstan has evolved from a disconnected set of apps into everyday infrastructure. Payments, installments, delivery, brokerage accounts, and credit scoring increasingly live within a single customer journey.

Bank ecosystems are the market's main engine. They retain access to mass users through payroll projects, QR payments, marketplaces, BNPL, and investment products. Competition is no longer just about rates or fees, but about the app's place in the customer's daily routine.

The second line of development is infrastructure. The Digital Tenge has gone through pilot and limited production scenarios since 2023; by 2026, it is important not to confuse the project's total issuance with the constant balance in circulation.

AIFC and AFSA give Kazakhstan the role of a regional gateway. Through this perimeter, companies gain access to the FinTech Lab, DASP licenses, stablecoin rules, and investment products, without mixing the AIFC regime with overall national regulation.

The main risk is concentration. Strong ecosystems accelerate the market but simultaneously make it dependent on a few major players. The next stage will be determined by whether a more open layer emerges around them: APIs, independent processing, RegTech, SME-SaaS, and specialized B2B fintechs.

role

The region's leading market for fintech infrastructure maturity.

focus

CBDC, AIFC/AFSA, banking ecosystems, BNPL, open banking.

signal

Index growth depends on the commercial launch of the digital tenge and the openness of the infrastructure layer.

Related markets

UZUzbekistan is catching up through UzCard/Humo processing, e-commerce, and BNPL scenarios; comparisons should focus on payment infrastructure rather than one-to-one banking ecosystems.KGKyrgyzstan serves as a compact testing ground for wallet-first, remittance, and digital-asset pilots, but the scale and depth of its banking ecosystems fall behind Kazakhstan.AZAzerbaijan is building a Caucasus–CA corridor through banking apps, instant payments, and open banking; this is a neighboring scenario of regulated digitalization.

Key metrics

Compare with

Macro & regulator

Currency
tenge (KZT)
national currency; official exchange rate published by НБК
Policy rate
17.0
НБК decision of 08.06.2026
Inflation
10.6%
annual inflation, April 2026
Regulator
НБК / АРРФР / AFSA
central bank, financial market, and AIFC perimeter
USD Rate
470.28 ₸
1 USD, official rate as of 21.07.2026
EUR Rate
537.53 ₸
1 EUR, official rate as of 21.07.2026
RUB Rate
5.99 ₸
1 RUB, official rate as of 21.07.2026
UZS Rate
3.94 ₸
100 UZS, official rate as of 21.07.2026
KGS Rate
5.38 ₸
1 KGS, official rate as of 21.07.2026
AZN Exchange Rate
277.45 ₸
1 AZN, official exchange rate as of 21.07.2026

Market and scale

Population
20.4 mln
as of July 1, 2025; exactly 20,387,811 people
GDP per capita
$14,770
nominal GDP per capita, 2025; PPP is about $44,450
National GDP
~$300 billion
nominal GDP, 2025
Median age
29.7 years
single baseline for the country index: UN World Population Prospects
Urban population
63%
12.77 million out of 20.29 million as of January 1, 2025

Digital infrastructure

Internet penetration
92.9%
19.2 million users, early 2025
Bank account ownership
~80% of adults
Global Findex; this is not an online banking metric
Mobile banking
24.8-27 million activations
total across banks, not unique users
4G / 5G
4G ~92%; 5G ~20 cities
3000+ 5G base stations, 2025

Fintech specifics

Cashless transactions
98%
by number of card transactions; in March 2026 - 98.42%
Cashless volume
87%
by value of card transactions; in March 2026 - 88.12%
Volume of cashless transactions
186 trillion ₸
card transactions, 2025; all NBRK payment systems - about 1.5 quadrillion ₸
Fintech companies
~200 startups
separately 212 licensed MFIs; these are different registries
Money transfers
$0.24 billion
inbound transfers, 2024; Kazakhstan is a net donor to UZ/TJ/KG
Cashless by region
8.3-27.4%
cash withdrawal share by region; this is an inverse cashless metric
BNPL
~2.3 trillion ₸
September 2024; all major operators are banks, no independent fintech BNPLs exist
E-wallets
61 million issued
issued, inactive; 49 million by Q1 2026

Regulatory environment

Fintech sandbox
AIFC FinTech Lab
since 2018; about 19 FinTech Lab participants; entire AIFC - 4,954 participants, including 510 financial
CBDC
pilot since 2023
total issuance of 336.6 billion ₸; legal provisions took effect on July 18, 2026
Open Banking
P2P: 12 banks
pilot since 2023; P2P by phone number available to clients of 12 banks since February 2026
Crypto licenses
28 DASP
9 full licenses + 19 FinTech Lab; about 12 licensed exchanges
Stablecoins
framework + issuer
AFSA Framework since January 1, 2024; first issuer license for AnchorX in June 2025

Venture landscape

VC volume
$71 million (2024)
74% of the region’s $95 million; 2025 is preliminary, not finalized
Fintech in VC
~40% of deals
by number of deals, not volume; Higgsfield is not counted as fintech
Largest fintech deal
Solva $20 million
largest verified fintech deal of 2024; Higgsfield $130M is AI/video, not fintech
Astana Hub
#70 globally; #1 in Central Asia
StartupBlink Global Index 2025; 2000+ hub participants
Regional venture report
KPMG/RISE, 2nd ed.
March 2025, 2024 data
AIFC crypto market
$10.58 billion
full 2025; 215,000 clients; $6.8 billion in Q1-Q3

Source

Open source →No link provided

Market players

Bank / superapp

Kaspi.kz

Anchor ecosystem for payments, e-commerce, lending, and merchant services.

Bank / ecosystem

Halyk Bank

The country's largest bank; digital ecosystem around Homebank, business, and investments.

Digital/app-first bank

Freedom Bank

About 2.6 trillion ₸ in assets; meets 3 of 4 SuperApp criteria: BNPL, third-party services, and payment infrastructure.

Bank / BNPL

Bank CenterCredit

About 8.4 trillion ₸ in assets; develops BNPL through bnpl.kz and a strong SME ecosystem.

Banking group

Forte / Home Credit

Home Credit has been a subsidiary bank of ForteBank since 30.12.2025; legal merger in progress.

New STB

BNK Commercial Bank

22nd second-tier bank; Korean BNK Capital, license 25.06.2025.

Islamic banking

ADCB Islamic Bank / Zaman Bank

Separate layer of Islamic banks; Al Hilal renamed to ADCB Islamic Bank.

Market companies

Banks20

by App Store ratingAll 20 →
Freedom Business★ 4.94Freedom SuperApp★ 4.90Bereke Bank - Онлайн Банк★ 4.88Kaspi.kz суперприложение★ 4.86ForteApp: Кошелёк в смартфоне★ 4.83Alatau City Bank★ 4.77Halyk Business★ 4.75Bereke Business★ 4.69Halyk Kazakhstan★ 4.64Home.kz от Home Credit Bank★ 4.58BCC Business★ 4.54Eurasian Bank★ 3.79

IT vendors19

A→ZAll 19 →
CCodewiseаутсорсингCrystal SpringаутсорсингDDAR (Группа DAR)прочееDatanomixdata/AIDocumentologпрочееGloberce Capitalсистемная интеграцияKazteleportпрочееKhan Groupсистемная интеграцияONE Technologiesмобильные приложенияPrime Sourceсистемная интеграцияQazCodedata/AIReady Bankкор-банкинг

Fintech102

A→ZAll 102 →
AcreditМФО и онлайн-кредитованиеAirba PayЭквайринг и процессингAirPayЭквайринг и процессингALD PAYСупераппыAmanatСтрахованиеAmokaЭквайринг и процессингAAnyFlowЭквайринг и процессингATAIX EurasiaКриптобиржи и обменAvtobysТранспортные платежиBigONE (Bigone Investment)Криптобиржи и обменBinance KazakhstanКриптобиржи и обменBitfinex Securities KazakhstanИнвестиции и биржи

Consulting13

A→ZAll 13 →
AIFC Tech HubисследованияBoston Consulting GroupконсалтингBRIF Research GroupисследованияDJAMдизайнFinTech ConsultконсалтингKPMG Caucasus and Central AsiaконсалтингMcKinsey & CompanyконсалтингOliver WymanконсалтингOutpost EurasiaконсалтингPwC / Strategy&консалтингRISE ResearchисследованияRocket AI/UX Labисследования

Fintech news Kazakhstan

All →

S&P повысило суверенный рейтинг Казахстана до BBB

Международное рейтинговое агентство S&P Global Ratings повысило суверенный кредитный рейтинг Казахстана с «BBB-» до «BBB» с прогнозом «стабильный». Это первый раз, когда страна достигает этого уровня с 2016 года.

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan|ПродуктAugust 22, 2026

Банк Развития Казахстана привлёк 600 млн тенге через размещение облигаций на KASE

АО «Банк Развития Казахстана» разместил облигации на Казахстанской фондовой бирже 21 августа, привлекая 600 млн тенге под 15% годовых.

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan|ПродуктAugust 22, 2026

KASE перевела облигации МФО «Смартолёт Финанс» в режим торговли чистыми ценами

Казахстанская фондовая биржа с 24 августа переводит облигации KZ2P00018906 МФО «Смартолёт Финанс» в режим торговли чистыми ценами с точностью котирования до четвёртого десятичного знака.

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan|РынокAugust 22, 2026

Акции Solidcore выросли на AIX на фоне подорожания золота

Бумаги казахстанской золотодобывающей компании Solidcore восстановились после падения и демонстрируют рост на фоне роста цен на золото и ослабления доллара.

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan|ТрендыAugust 22, 2026

Доходность пенсионных активов в Сентрас Секьюритиз достигла 9,72%

По состоянию на 1 августа 2026 года доходность пенсионных активов Единого накопительного пенсионного фонда Казахстана в управлении Сентрас Секьюритиз составила 9,72% с начала года — самый высокий показатель среди управляющих компаний.

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan|РынокAugust 21, 2026

Mastercard: уровень использования онлайн-платежей казахстанским МСБ достиг 85%

По данным исследования Mastercard SME Confidence Index 2026, малые и средние предприятия Казахстана используют онлайн-платежи на уровне 85%, при этом 47% компаний принимают в основном безналичные платежи.

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan|СделкаAugust 21, 2026

Events Kazakhstan

All →

Astana Finance Days 2026

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan · Astana🔥9-September 10, 2026

Central Asia Fintech Summit 2026

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan · Almaty🔥September 11, 2026

Silk Road Cash & Payments Conference 2026

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan · Almaty🔥15-September 17, 2026

AI & Digital Bridge 2026

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan · Astana1-October 3, 2026

Dig deeper

All topics →
HubFintech of KazakhstanBanks and payments, marketplaces, regulation and deals that drive Kazakhstan’s fintech.HubUnified QR in KazakhstanThe interbank mobile payments system and unified QR code: who is connected, how it works and what it changes for merchants and shoppers in Kazakhstan.HubFintech of UzbekistanPayment apps and processing, marketplaces, BNPL and banks of Uzbekistan’s fast-growing fintech market.HubFintech of KyrgyzstanMobile banks and wallets, money transfers, digital assets and payments of Kyrgyzstan’s small market.HubFintech of AzerbaijanBanks and digital wallets, cashless payments, regulation and deals of Azerbaijan’s fintech market.HubFintech of TajikistanMobile banks and wallets, money transfers, payments and digital services of Tajikistan’s small market.HubIslamic banking in KazakhstanIslamic banks and windows, regulation, sukuk, investments and customer products — how Islamic finance is growing in Kazakhstan.HubIslamic banking in UzbekistanRegulation, Islamic products, banks, investments, sukuk and customer demand — Islamic finance of Uzbekistan.HubAI in KazakhstanAI in banks and payments, government services, Astana Hub and AIFC infrastructure, regulation, data and talent in Kazakhstan.HubAI in UzbekistanNational AI strategy, AI in fintech and payments, digital government services, IT Park, data and talent in Uzbekistan.HubBNPL in Central AsiaInstalments and embedded finance, marketplaces, credit scoring and BNPL regulation in Central Asia.HubRegulators of Central AsiaCentral banks and financial regulators of Central Asia and Azerbaijan: who regulates what, licences, payment rules and supervision.HubPayment systems of Central AsiaNational card schemes, instant payments, QR and cross-border transfers: how the region’s payment infrastructure works.
Finteqstan Index
89/100
↑ +4.2
20242026

Growth relies on the digital tenge, the AIFC/AFSA regime, banking ecosystems, and the emergence of a more open B2B infrastructure layer.

How the rating is calculated

About the data

All figures are compiled from open sources: national banks, DataReportal, IMF, World Bank, KPMG, industry reports and publications.

If you believe a number, licence status or player description is inaccurate, send a link to the primary source, the publication date and a short note.

Page updated: May 28, 2026