# Kazakhstan — payment codes and schemes

> Source: https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/payments/KZ
> extracted at 2026-10-03
> Publisher: Barcoder — encyclopedia of QR, barcode and payment-code standards

## Summary

- **Kaspi QR** dominates with ~80% of payment transactions
- **National QR** unified system launched November 2025
- **2.1 billion QR transactions** in first 8 months of 2024
- **89% digital payment** adoption (2024)
- **NBK IPS** instant payment system (June 2022)

## Banking landscape

### Central Bank
- **Name:** National Bank of Kazakhstan (NBK)
- **Website:** https://www.nationalbank.kz/
- **Role:** Monetary policy, payment systems, open banking

### Major Banks (2024)

| Rank | Bank Name | Type | Digital Platform |
|------|-----------|------|------------------|
| 1 | Kaspi Bank | Digital | Kaspi.kz App |
| 2 | Halyk Bank | Universal | Homebank |
| 3 | Forte Bank | Commercial | Forte App |
| 4 | Bank CenterCredit | Commercial | BCC Mobile |
| 5 | Jusan Bank | Commercial | Jusan App |

### Market Structure
- **Kaspi.kz:** ~80% of payments, 14M monthly users
- **Halyk Bank:** ~10%+ of payments
- **NBK:** National Payment Corporation
- **Population:** 20 million

---

## Payment infrastructure

### National Payment Systems

| System | Operator | Type | Status |
|--------|----------|------|--------|
| National QR | NPC | Unified QR | Active (Nov 2025) |
| Kaspi QR | Kaspi.kz | Proprietary | Dominant |
| NBK IPS | NBK | Instant payment | Active (2022) |
| Interbank | NBK | Settlement | Active |

### Kaspi.kz Dominance
- **~80% of payment transactions**
- **14 million monthly users**
- **721,000 active sellers** (mid-2024)
- Virtually every merchant accepts Kaspi QR

### NBK Instant Payment System
- Launched June 2022
- After Kaspi already dominant
- Government instant payment rail
- Interoperability mandate

---

## QR code standards

### National QR System (November 2025)

| Attribute | Value |
|-----------|-------|
| **Launch** | November 13, 2025 |
| **Operator** | National Payment Corporation (NPC) |
| **Announced** | Central Asia Fintech Summit, Almaty |
| **Goal** | Unified interbank QR |

### National QR Features
- Single QR for all bank apps
- Interoperability mandate
- NPC developed with banks
- Standardized format

### Kaspi QR

| Attribute | Value |
|-----------|-------|
| **Operator** | Kaspi.kz |
| **Share** | ~80% of transactions |
| **Users** | 14 million monthly |
| **Merchants** | Universal acceptance |

### Kaspi QR Features
- Proprietary system
- Ubiquitous acceptance
- Even smallest bazaars
- Online marketplace integration

### 2024 QR Statistics
- **2.1 billion transactions** (Jan-Aug 2024)
- QR not even tracked separately prior year
- Remarkable adoption growth

---

## Mobile payment apps

| App | Provider | QR | Users |
|-----|----------|-------|-------|
| Kaspi.kz | Kaspi | Yes | 14M/month |
| Homebank | Halyk | Yes | Large |
| Forte | Forte Bank | Yes | Growing |
| BCC Mobile | CenterCredit | Yes | Active |
| Jusan | Jusan Bank | Yes | Active |

### Kaspi.kz Super App
- Payments (QR dominant)
- Banking services
- Marketplace (721K sellers)
- Bill payments
- Travel bookings

### Open Banking (October 2024)
- Kaspi opened system to other banks
- Compete with NBK platform
- Strengthen market position
- Customer choice expansion

---

## Schemes

| Scheme | Type | Symbology | Adoption | Technical standard |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| [National QR](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/payments/KZ/national-qr) | Unified QR | NPC | New (Nov 2025) | — |
| [Kaspi QR](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/payments/KZ/kaspi-qr) | Proprietary | Kaspi | ~80% share | [`kaspi-qr`](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/standards/kaspi-qr) |
| [NBK IPS](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/payments/KZ/nbk-ips) | Instant | NBK | Active | — |

## Sources

- [CSIS - Kazakhstan Digital Infrastructure](https://www.csis.org/analysis/building-digital-public-infrastructure-lessons-learned-kazakhstan)
- [Bloomberg - Kaspi QR Opens](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-10-24/kaspi-kz-qr-based-payment-system-opens-ahead-of-central-bank-move)
- [Fintech Times - Kazakhstan Banking](https://thefintechtimes.com/from-nomad-trails-to-digital-rails-kazakhstans-banking-revolution/)
- [BusinessWire - Alipay+ Kaspi](https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250812116781/en/Alipay-and-Kaspi.kz-Enhance-International-Payment-Acceptance-in-Kazakhstan)
- [Astana Times - Open Banking](https://astanatimes.com/2025/04/what-stands-behind-kazakhstans-open-banking-initiative/)
- [BNN Bloomberg - Kaspi Competition](https://www.bnnbloomberg.ca/business/international/2024/10/24/kazakh-firm-kaspikz-opens-payment-system-to-new-users-to-compete-with-central-bank/)
- [Kursiv Media - One QR Code](https://kz.kursiv.media/en/2024-04-10/national-bank-adjusts-its-plan-on-one-qr-code-in-kazakhstan/)
- [Borgen Project - Kaspi](https://borgenproject.org/kaspi/)
- [Tietoevry - Kaspi Revolution](https://www.tietoevry.com/en/success-stories/2024/kaspi-kazakhstan/)
- [Payment Expert - Kazakhstan QR](https://paymentexpert.com/2025/11/13/kazakhstan-launches-qr-retail-payments/)

## Full country report

[KZ-kazakhstan.md](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/payments/KZ)