AFSA, the regulator of the Astana International Financial Centre, warned on September 29 about the fraudulent use of the Investlink Ltd company name and the unauthorized use of an AFSA license. This is the main signal of the week from regulators and exchanges in Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan: between September 24 and October 1, they recorded 17 events.
Event of the week
What happened. On September 29, AFSA published a warning that unknown individuals are impersonating Investlink Ltd and using an AFSA license without the regulator’s permission.
By country
🇰🇿 Kazakhstan
- AFSA warned on September 29 about the fraudulent use of the Investlink Ltd name and the unauthorized use of its license.
- The National Bank of Kazakhstan (NBK) held a seminar on September 28 for payment organizations regarding changes in regulatory and supervisory policy. Finteqstan previously reported that the NBK is implementing a SupTech platform to supervise the payment market; the seminar took place against the backdrop of this transition.
- The registry of significant payment service providers was updated on September 27 with a revised entry for Halyk Bank: its legal name, address, and contacts were clarified.
- In the same registry, the entry for the NBK itself as the operator of the Interbank Money Transfer System was updated on September 27: its address and contact details changed.
- A new entry, “Avtobys pay,” appeared in the registry of electronic money systems on September 27.
- In the same registry, the “Tarlan Payments” system was renamed “Cashello.kz,” and PayDala LLP was added to the list of participants.
🇰🇬 Kyrgyzstan
- The National Bank of the Kyrgyz Republic (NBKR) fined four individuals in Bishkek 17,500 soms each on September 28 for unlicensed cash currency exchange operations. Finteqstan previously reported that the NBKR fined illegal money changers and exchange bureaus a week earlier; the practice continued.
- NBKR Chairman Almaz Baketaev participated in an IMF briefing in Washington on September 24–25 covering monetary policy, financial system stability, reserve management, payment infrastructure, and central bank digital currency.
- The NBKR Board adopted resolution No. 2026-P-12/47-4-(NPA) on September 24 regarding changes to regulations on Islamic banking principles. The document aligns NBKR requirements with Law No. 85 of June 8, 2026, and international Sharia standards for sharika/musharaka and diminishing musharaka contracts.
- The Issyk-Kul regional branch of the NBKR fined one credit union 55,000 soms on September 30 for violating NBKR legislation and regulations.
- The Naryn regional branch of the NBKR held a financial literacy lecture and a numismatic exhibition for students of the agrarian technical and economic college on September 29.
- The Issyk-Kul regional branch of the NBKR held an off-site financial literacy lecture for high school students at School No. 3 in Karakol on September 28, covering QR code payments, money muling, and fraud.
🇹🇯 Tajikistan
- The National Bank of Tajikistan (NBT) summarized the results of a credit auction on September 29.
- The NBT summarized the results of another auction on September 30.
- The NBT met with SWIFT representatives on September 28 during the Sibos 2026 forum.
🇺🇿 Uzbekistan
- The Uzbek Republican Currency Exchange (UZRVB) announced on September 30 the competitive placement of temporarily free funds into commercial bank deposits.
- The Republican Stock Exchange Tashkent (UZSE) published a listing notification on September 30.
Trend of the week
There is no direct line connecting the week’s events: regulators and exchanges in the region mostly closed routine tasks—updating registries, fining violators, and summarizing auction results. The AFSA warning about the fake license under the Investlink Ltd name stands out: it is the only event of the week where a regulator explicitly pointed out an attempt to use its name without permission.
