Leadership from the Agency for Regulation and Development of the Financial Market (ARDFM) and the National Bank of Kazakhstan met with the chairman of China Construction Bank (CCB). The parties are discussing the creation of a full-fledged subsidiary bank of the Chinese financial giant in the Kazakh market.
On August 19, 2026, CCB Chairman Zhang Jinliang held talks with the country’s financial regulators. As reported by Kapital.kz, citing an ARDFM statement, the main topic was expanding bilateral cooperation and the prospects of opening a subsidiary of the bank.
CCB is currently represented in Kazakhstan by a branch based in the Astana International Financial Centre (AIFC). The bank received a license to provide financial services in this jurisdiction in 2019. Transitioning to a subsidiary bank format means entering the traditional domestic market and operating under the general rules of the country’s banking sector.
The Kazakh market is already familiar with Chinese capital. Three banks with Chinese investors operate in the country: Altyn Bank (controlled by China CITIC Bank), a subsidiary of the state-owned Bank of China, and the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China in Almaty (an ICBC subsidiary). According to the National Bank, their combined assets reach 2.8 trillion tenge.
CCB’s interest in expanding its presence coincides with recent regulatory changes. In August 2025, Kazakhstan simplified the conditions for foreign financial institutions to operate. The minimum asset requirement for a parent bank to open a branch was reduced from $20 billion to $10 billion. The regulator also shortened the list of required documents and allowed foreign bank branches to conduct exchange operations, issue payment cards, and participate in syndicated financing.
The entry of a financial group with global assets exceeding $6 trillion into the domestic market will reshape competition in the corporate sector and cross-border trade services.
The process is currently at the stage of negotiations and assessing prospects. The next step for the launch would be the official submission of documents to the ARDFM to obtain a banking license.