During the first week of July, mobile apps of banks in Central Asia and the Caucasus received over thirty updates. Developers continue to move away from basic transactional functionality toward deep integration with government databases, subscription management, and niche business solutions.
Trend of the Week: Going Beyond Finance
This is a continuation of the trend that Finteqstan wrote about in the previous update review: banks are looking for ways to make their apps a client’s daily habit. This week, the focus shifted to integration with government and social services. Financial apps are taking on the role of a single window for the user’s routine tasks.
Update of the week ⭐: Azerbaijani UBank introduced an interface for Open Banking management. Clients can now view and revoke consents granted to other banks for accessing account and card information in one click. This is a strong infrastructural precedent for the region.
Kazakhstan
Bank CenterCredit integrated government services into the credit process. The bcc.kz app now features a function to apply for loan repayment using lump-sum pension withdrawals. Concurrently, the bank updated its corporate app BCC Business 2.0, adding a role model with dedicated access for cashiers.
Freedom SuperApp added a BilimClass section where users can view school homework. The bank also grouped invoiced service bills into a single payments section.
Bank RBK launched new deposit products. The Smart deposit with daily capitalization and the Aqyl educational savings account became available in the app.
Bereke Bank added instructions for removing a credit stop when applying for an Alğa installment card. Home.kz introduced phone number transfers to other banks, and ForteApp moved all information about the client’s vehicles into a separate “Auto” section.
Uzbekistan
Oson integrated new payment methods. Users can now pay directly via the Tez QR service using the OSON wallet and HUMO cards.
Uzum Bank continues to develop activity-based loyalty mechanics. When spending from 500,000 soums per month, the client receives free transfers, cash withdrawals, and public transport rides. However, in the description of the July update, the developers promise benefits “all April”—likely a technical error when publishing release notes.
TBC Bank Uzbekistan added automatic renewal of term deposits. Islamic fintech Iman updated its interface and improved the display of investment accounts.
Kyrgyzstan
Bakai Business entered a narrow B2B niche. The bank added a “Taxi Fleets” section where corporate clients can connect and manage specialized services. It also became possible to open PDF applications for issuing virtual cards.
The Kompanion app introduced a financial analysis section to track the structure of income and expenses.
Tajikistan
Alif expanded installment repayment scenarios. Clients can now make payments through the bank’s physical cash desks by scanning a QR code. Additionally, information about limits and purchased goods has been moved to the app’s main screen.
Azerbaijan
Besides launching Open Banking consent management in UBank, updates touched upon card and lifestyle services. PASHA Bank opened the ordering of the Miles&Smiles co-branded card directly in the app. Leobank expanded the payment menu in the entertainment and sports categories.