Kazakhstan has launched a unified system for interbank QR payments. The announcement was made by Timur Suleimenov, Chairman of the National Bank, during a press conference at the Central Asia Fintech Summit in Almaty.
According to him, the “unified QR” project has been in development for a year and is now becoming a nationwide initiative.
Which banks are connected
Zhannar Samayeva, Chair of the National Payment Corporation of Kazakhstan, stated that the interbank QR was launched in pilot mode in October. Now the system is fully available and already covers several million users.
The following banks have joined the system:
• Bank CenterCredit
• Freedom Bank
• Halyk Bank
• Altyn Bank
• RBK Bank
• Home Credit Bank
By the end of the year, three more banks are expected to join. Full nationwide rollout is planned for 2026.
What about Kaspi Bank
The head of the National Bank confirmed that Kaspi Bank will also be connected to the system.
The agreement on joining was signed yesterday. According to Suleimenov, the bank has been involved in the technical work for most of the year and is taking a “constructive position”.
What changes for users
The National Bank has already prepared legislative amendments that will require all second-tier banks to connect to the unified QR ecosystem by 2026 and support transfers by phone number in a single format.
The unified QR system is designed to simplify payments in Kazakhstan. Paying by QR will no longer depend on which bank the sender or receiver uses.