Every event in Central Asia's fintech market — briefly, with a link to the source. Analysis and explainers are in our news.
According to tengrinews.kz, the Asian Development Bank has approved a second tranche of **20 billion tenge** for Otbasy Bank's Umay women's mortgage program.
Source: tengrinews.kzThe HUMO payment system has restored operations after brief disruptions in POS terminals and partner VPN connections caused by issues on the TAS-IX telecom link.
Source: t.me/humoofficialThe Association of Financiers of Kazakhstan published a lending review: in the first eight months of 2026, corporate loan disbursements rose 19.6% to **15.8 trillion tenge**, while the share of companies planning to take out a loan remained virtually unchanged after nine months at 14.7%.
Source: kapital.kzAccording to Minister of Labor and Social Protection Askarbek Yertayev, banks will begin sharing account and deposit data of families applying for state aid with the ministry starting January 1, 2027, subject to recipient consent.
Source: kapital.kzKazakhstan's Financial Monitoring Agency has dismantled transnational crime rings running money mule farms to process online casino payments via bank accounts of Kazakh, Uzbek, and Kyrgyz citizens.
Source: kapital.kzStarting November 1, the customs processing fee for international courier shipments in Uzbekistan will drop by 20%, from 8,800 to **7,040 soums** per kilogram.
Source: spot.uzSARBON-INVEST LLC's license to operate as a trust manager of investment assets in the Uzbek securities market has been revoked following the company's voluntary application.
Source: t.me/napp_uzHome Credit Bank informed customers that all systems are operating normally and apologized for any temporary inconvenience.
Source: t.me/HomeCreditBankKzApex Bank has received participant status in Uzbekistan's special capital market regulatory sandbox and was added to the regulator's registry.
Source: napp.uzOn **October 12, 2026**, the Board of the National Bank of the Kyrgyz Republic decided to issue a permit to establish the open joint-stock company "Pochta Bank".
Source: t.me/NBKR_newsAccording to kapital.kz, Otbasy Bank has amended its charter to expand into Islamic banking, with its shareholder, Baiterek National Managing Holding, approving the decision.
Source: kapital.kzAccording to spot.uz, Uzbekistan's Ministry of Economy and Finance added **24 new companies** to the register of public interest entities, bringing the total from 425 to 449.
Source: spot.uzThe National Bank of the Kyrgyz Republic has suspended the licenses of three foreign exchange bureaus for violating legislation and regulatory requirements.
Source: t.me/NBKR_newsE-money transaction volume in Kazakhstan reached **959.5 billion tenge** in January–June 2026, up 46.4% year-on-year and 91.3% over two years.
Source: ranking.kzKazakhstan has extended additional assistance to socially vulnerable borrowers under its mortgage refinancing program until September 1, 2027.
Source: t.me/finregkzThe regulator fined a payment organization for violating the legislation of the Kyrgyz Republic and regulatory acts of the National Bank.
Source: t.me/NBKR_newsThe National Bank of Uzbekistan has introduced UnionPay MoneyExpress, enabling direct money transfers from NBU cards to international UnionPay cards across 84 countries and regions.
Source: t.me/nbu_officialThe National Bank of Kazakhstan's Anti-Fraud Center blocked suspicious transactions totaling **117 billion tenge** and recorded 180,000 suspicious incidents over two years.
Source: lsm.kzUzbek marketplace Uzum Market has restored operations across its website, mobile app, and seller portal following an Oct. 8 technical outage.
Source: spot.uzThe World Bank reported that Kyrgyzstan's construction loan portfolio more than doubled year-over-year as of June 2026.
Source: tazabek.kgOtbasy Bank has cancelled overdue statuses and late fees that hit customers due to technical glitches on October 8, when loan payments failed to process on time.
Source: kz.kursiv.mediaAs of October 1, Uzbekistan's gold and foreign exchange reserves stood at **$66.58bn**, falling by $5.54bn over the month due to lower global gold prices and a decline in foreign currency assets.
Source: spot.uzUzbekistan's Tenge Bank has updated its universal service agreement for individuals on the ATB platform, effective October 9, 2026.
Source: tengebank.uzNGDEM Global Limited has become a new participant in the digital financial assets and digital assets platform of the Kazakhstan Stock Exchange.
Source: t.me/KASEofficialUzbek lender ANORBANK has received shareholder approval for an additional share issue worth **100 billion UZS** to attract investment under its capital strengthening plan.
Source: t.me/anorbankKazakhstan’s Agency for Regulation and Development of the Financial Market has extended its distressed mortgage refinancing program by one year and expanded eligibility to include socially vulnerable borrowers who took out loans between 2021 and 2024.
Source: tengrinews.kzKazakh fintech company Kaspi.kz has introduced Kasper, an AI assistant for Kaspi Magazin, at the Digital Bridge 2026 international forum in Astana.
Source: t.me/kaspikzBank CenterCredit announced that the #BusinessCredit corporate card does not count toward the four-card limit per customer.
Source: bcc.kzThe Eurasian Development Bank (EDB) and the Ministry of Finance of the Sultanate of Oman have signed an agreement on the terms of the Bank's presence in Oman during the Sultan's state visit to Kazakhstan.
Source: khovar.tjKazakhstan's Otbasy Bank has temporarily stopped issuing loans to pay off mortgage debt at other banks and financial institutions through October 23, 2026.
Source: inbusiness.kzKazakhstan's State Annuity Company has launched an online service enabling employers to independently take out mandatory workplace accident insurance without visiting an office.
Source: profit.kzOn October 7, 2026, Kazakhstan's Bereke Bank obtained universal banking license No. 1.1.914.151, authorizing it to issue interbank loans, guarantees, and sureties.
Source: gov.kzNational Bank of Uzbekistan has started issuing online microloans through the Milliy app for NBU payroll clients and public sector employees.
Source: t.me/nbu_officialStarting October 1, 2026, Kazakhstan raised the recommended maximum rate on foreign currency savings deposits with terms over 12 months from 1% to **2.5% per annum**.
Source: kapital.kzKazakhstan's financial regulator has clarified the conditions under which banks and microfinance organizations can issue loans to clients who set a voluntary borrowing ban via the "Stop-Credit" service.
Source: gov.kzAccording to the World Bank's Global Findex 2025, 59.7% of Uzbekistan's population aged 15 and older held a financial account in 2025, compared with 87% in Kazakhstan, 72.3% in Kyrgyzstan, and 54.5% in Tajikistan.
Source: ranking.kzIn August 2026, assets of Kazakhstan's Islamic banks reached **315.3 billion tenge** compared to 9.6 billion tenge in August 2010, yet their share in the banking sector remains at 0.42%.
Source: ranking.kzFollowing its September review, FTSE Russell upgraded Kazakhstan across four market quality criteria, with no indicators downgraded.
Source: t.me/KASEofficialFollowing its September review, FTSE Russell upgraded Kazakhstan's ratings across four market quality criteria, with no downgrades recorded.
Source: t.me/KASEofficialAltyn Bank has introduced its new "Altyn Uya" mortgage program featuring a fixed rate between 7% and 16% per annum and a down payment starting at 20% of the property value.
Source: kapital.kz
