VTB, Halyk Bank, Kaspi Bank resume issuing payment cards to non-residents in Kazakhstan

ALMATY. Feb 14 (Interfax) - Three Kazakh banks - Halyk Bank, Kaspi Bank and VTB's subsidiary - have resumed issuing payment cards to non-residents.

The resumption of the service was confirmed to Interfax by call center representatives of Halyk Bank and Kaspi Bank. VTB's subsidiary bank announced the news on its website.

"A card can be opened at a bank branch if the applicant has a residence permit," Halyk Bank said.

Kaspi Bank will issue payment cards for non-residents according to the same conditions.

"Kaspi Gold is available to citizens of Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) countries as well as foreigners with a residence permit in Kazakhstan," the bank said.

VTB's Kazakh subsidiary issues Mir cards with a validity period of one year.

"The bank has fully adjusted its systems and is ready to operate under the new requirements of Kazakh legislation. The validity period of the cards will now be 12 months. However, for diplomatic workers and non-resident investors, the validity period can be extended to three years," VTB (Kazakhstan) said on its website.

Eurasian Bank, Nurbank and Home Credit Bank, which previously announced that they were suspending card issuance for non-residents, have not resumed operations, call center representatives told Interfax.

It was previously reported that Kazakhstan's Agency for Regulation and Development of the Financial Market had introduced restrictions on the validity period of payment cards for non-residents, as well as limits on the number of cards per individual.

An exception to the validity period restrictions applies to payment cards issued for business entities, diplomatic workers and investors.

As of January 1, 2025, Halyk Bank ranks first in terms of assets, Kaspi Bank ranks second and VTB (Kazakhstan) ranks 19th among Kazakhstan's 21 banks.