Kazakhstan's banking ecosystems through users' eyes

How Kazakhstanis actually use banking super apps—from payments and food delivery to government services, investments, and pharmacies. The Rocket Tech team analyzed 12 areas: where users stay with the app, where they leave for competitors, and what banks should do about it.

Open the interactive data dashboard → — player map, engagement metrics, and a breakdown of 12 areas by the Rocket Tech research team.

What this research covers

A financial ecosystem (super app) in Kazakhstan is a multifunctional digital environment that covers not only users' transactional needs but also daily tasks: buying food and tickets, paying for transit, accessing government services, and managing healthcare.

This hub brings together a series of articles on how users choose ecosystems, the barriers they face when using various services, and the solutions that help fintech players increase audience engagement.

Methodology

The Rocket Tech team prepared this research. The focus is on how people actually behave in Kazakhstan's leading banking apps and where their journeys break down.

The study relies on in-depth interviews with Kazakhstanis of different ages, genders, and levels of experience with financial technology.

The analysis identifies current product blockers (UX gaps, infrastructure issues, trust barriers) and provides practical recommendations to improve the user experience across both financial and non-financial services.

Key audience segments

To better understand the user experience, all respondents were divided into five key cohorts. Each has its own logic for interacting with money and limits on trusting technology:

  • Normies: Basic users whose choices are often driven by inertia and habit. They value simplicity, clear interfaces, and want results without extra clicks.

  • Pragmatists: The most satisfied segment. Rational users whose choices rely on calculation (cashback, benefits, speed). They expect transparent pricing and a seamless customer journey from ecosystems.

  • Old-schoolers: A conservative audience that struggles to adopt new technologies (like AI or complex investments). They prioritize reliability, familiar mechanics, and quality guarantees (such as fresh groceries during delivery).

  • Financially literate: Advanced users who feel constrained by standard banking charts. They demand cross-bank aggregation and complex analytical tools. They are ready to trust AI assistants but currently have to track finances in spreadsheets.

  • The burned: A segment with total distrust of banking ecosystems due to past outages, account blocks, or bad refund experiences. They fear "digital slavery" and hidden fees, and strictly reject personal data integration (medicine, government services).

Key findings

  • Payments bring them in, delivery keeps them. QR codes and transfers are why people install the app, but food and grocery delivery make them open it every day.

  • From "what was spent" to "what to do next." Simple spending charts are no longer enough. Users expect analytics and AI assistants to provide forward-looking tips: where to save and what to watch out for.

  • Online answers for offline. Once a bank sells tickets, tours, and goods, it becomes responsible for offline problems—canceled flights, returned items, late couriers. Without partnerships and logistics, these scenarios break trust.

  • Government services are the peak of trust. A bank that reliably connects a client to the state (documents, payments, certificates) gains the most loyal audience. But a single synchronization failure triggers data fears.

Research areas

Below are all the research materials, broken down by key fintech ecosystem product verticals:

TopicCore focus
Seamless payments and transfersHow P2P transfers and QR payments determine the choice of a primary banking app, and why payments are the entry point to a super app.
Food delivery and e-groceryWhy delivery services become the core of super apps and drive DAU (Daily Active Users), despite logistical challenges.
Transport and micromobilityIntegration of transport scenarios (MaaS) and barriers when paying for transit, renting scooters, and carsharing.
Installments (BNPL) and e-commerceHow built-in banking marketplaces changed shopping culture and the refund problems users face.
Entertainment and lifestyleMonetizing free time, buying tickets, and creating emotional value through social features like bill splitting.
Personal finance management (PFM)The evolution of PFM services: why manual tracking fails and why the shift to proactive AI assistants is necessary.
Travel-tech in fintechHow banks replace tour operators through travel bonuses and installments, and why 24/7 chat support matters.
Digitizing government services (GovTech)Integration with state databases (eGov) as a powerful driver of audience loyalty and ways to combat outages.
Retail investmentsDemocratizing brokerage services, financial literacy issues, and gamifying investments for beginners.
Kids' fintechApps for first money: balancing strict parental control with an engaging, game-like experience for the child.
HealthTech and telemedicineIntegrating pharmacies, clinics, and medical profiles into a single customer journey within a banking app.
AI and personalizationThe role of artificial intelligence as an invisible, proactive assistant capable of solving non-standard tasks.

Frequently asked questions

What is the main driver for using a super app in Kazakhstan?

Payment functionality (QR, P2P) is the basic entry point, but food and grocery delivery make users open the app every day.

What is the main problem with non-financial services in banks?

Users most often face a gap between a convenient banking interface and the actual customer experience (courier issues, flight cancellations, unavailable medications, refund failures).

Why do banks turn into aggregators for government services and tickets?

Integrating lifestyle services, government services, and transport allows ecosystems to monetize users' free time, accumulate data on their interests, and increase loyalty by acting as an indispensable daily assistant.

Материалы исследования

"Interbank Blindness": Why Kazakhstanis Manually Shuffle Money Between Banks

QR codes and instant transfers are the norm. Now, Kazakhstanis value a short, ad-free path and clear payment statuses over a bloated feature set.

Foodtech in Superapps: How Grocery Delivery Impacts Bank Brand Loyalty

Food and grocery delivery drives daily app engagement. But trust hinges on the details: accurate weight, freshness, and fast refunds.

Kazakhstanis abandon bank marketplaces for Wildberries and Pinduoduo when buying clothes

Why Kazakhstanis buy clothes on Wildberries and Pinduoduo despite the payment convenience of bank marketplaces—and what would bring them back.

Paying in the bank, routing in another app: The transport gap in Kazakhstan's superapps

Paying fares via QR is easy, but planning a trip is not: users have to jump between the bank app, maps, and ride-hailing.

The Bank as a Ticket Office: What Keeps Superapps from Becoming Leisure Hubs

You can buy a ticket through a bank, but the app remains a checkout counter. When planning downtime, users do not want to see loan balances next to movie posters.

Why automatic analytics "lie" and Kazakhstanis still track budgets manually in spreadsheets

Almost every bank offers spending charts, yet users still track their budgets in Excel because they don’t trust automatic categorization.

Fear of Flight Cancellations and the Bonus Hunt: How Kazakhstanis Buy Travel in Superapps

Banks offer better deals on tours and tickets than traditional operators. Yet peace of mind beats price: travelers want to know what happens if their flight gets canceled.

Digital ID Triumph and Fear of Blocks: How Kazakhstanis Use GovTech in Banks

Digital IDs and eGov integration in bank apps build strong user trust. But two fears hold users back: account blocks and outdated documents.

Why Kazakhstani Beginners Abandon Investing After the First Dip

Opening a brokerage account takes just a few clicks, but beginners close them after the first dip—scared off by terminal jargon and a portfolio in the red.

Kids' Cards in Kazakhstan: The Child is Bored, the Parent is Anxious

Kids’ cards are stuck between extremes: either a boring “micro-bank” with adult terminology or a toy the child quickly outgrows.

Why Buying Medicines Online Turns Into a Quest With an Uncertain Outcome for Kazakhstanis

Ordering medicines online in Kazakhstan is a lottery: a drug is listed as in stock but is actually unavailable, and users fear making a mistake when choosing an alternative.

"The Black Box Effect": Why Kazakhstanis Distrust Banking AI Assistants

Chatbots are annoying, and AI decisions look like a “black box.” People are only ready to trust the algorithm when they see what the answer is based on.