Kazakhstan’s Agency for Regulation and Development of the Financial Market reported that it handled 15,600 appeals concerning financial institutions and collection agencies in September 2026, up 6.3% from August. The update also reviewed mortgage relief, including a Sept. 28, 2026, decision extending additional assistance for socially vulnerable borrowers until Sept. 1, 2027. Banks accounted for 47.1% of appeals, microfinance organizations for 39.4% and collection agencies for 7.1%. Debt settlement was the leading issue, representing 43% of appeals, followed by clarification of legislation at 18% and consultations at 12%. Action over identified breaches included five supervisory recommendations to banks, one written instruction to a microfinance organization and three administrative fines totaling KZT 1.7 million. Under the mortgage refinancing program, banks had refinanced 33,400 loans totaling KZT 215 billion as of Oct. 1, 2026, through the component covering mortgages issued between 2004 and 2020 to preserve borrowers’ sole homes. A separate component for foreign currency mortgages issued before Jan. 1, 2016, ended on Dec. 31, 2025, having converted or refinanced 16,200 loans totaling KZT 114.4 billion. Additional support for socially vulnerable borrowers reached 10,600 borrowers and KZT 101.3 billion as of Oct. 1, 2026. This assistance includes reducing debt, setting preferential repayment schedules and returning sole homes held on banks’ balance sheets to borrowers’ ownership.

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