Kazakhstan's Halyk Bank, Eurasian Bank, Nurbank, VTB subsidiary suspend issue of payment cards to non-residents

ALMATY. Jan 29 (Interfax) - Another four banks in Kazakhstan - Halyk Bank, Eurasian Bank, Nurbank and VTB Bank's subsidiary - have suspended the issuing of payment cards to non-residents in the country, the banks told Interfax.

The call center of Halyk Bank told Interfax that it is no longer issuing cards to non-residents. It was unable to say when such operations might resume. "I do not currently have that information," an operator at the call center said.

An operator at Eurasian Bank also said that the bank is not issuing payments cards to non-residents and that they do not know when the bank may resume doing so.

VTB Bank's Kazakh subsidiary said that the suspension in issuing payment cards to non-residents was due to technical problems. "No, we are currently not issuing [cards] due to technical malfunctions," the bank's call center said in response to a corresponding question. It is unknown when the bank will resume issuing cards, but the restriction is temporary, it said.

Nurbank published an announcement on its website about the suspension in issuing payment cards. "We inform you that the issuing of payment cards for non-residents of Kazakhstan has been temporarily suspended due to technical work," it said.

The restriction was imposed for technical reasons, Nurbank's call center said. The bank is also unaware of when cards will again be issued.

As reported, Kaspi Bank and Home Credit Bank previously suspended the issuing of payment cards to non-residents.

It was also reported that the Agency for Regulation and Development of the Financial Market had set limits on the validity period of payment cards issued to non-residents, as well as on the number of payment cards that can be issued to one person. The new requirements will not apply to entrepreneurs, diplomats or investors.

As of January 1, 2025, Halyk Bank ranks first in assets among Kazakhstan's 21 banks. Eurasian Bank ranks seventh, Nurbank ranks fifteenth and JSC VTB Bank ranks nineteenth.