The Agency for Regulation and Development of the Financial Market of the Republic of Kazakhstan has amended the risk management and internal control framework for second-tier banks and branches of nonresident banks to require the creation of specialised units focused on protecting consumers of financial services. The changes also strengthen requirements for assessing individuals’ creditworthiness and for internal decision-making processes related to regulating borrowers’ debt based on their life circumstances. The new bank units are intended to act as a second line of defence for client rights protection and must operate independently from other bank structures. Their functions include monitoring compliance with consumer rights through test purchases, coordinating procedures for the repayment of individuals’ loans, analysing consumer risks when agreeing terms and promoting financial products, assessing the effectiveness of complaint-handling processes and service quality, and reviewing practices for the promotion and advertising of banks’ financial products. The amendments also introduce criteria for classifying individuals as high-risk borrowers when specified factors occur, and reinforce expectations that banks maintain internal procedures for credit decisions on debt regulation linked to an assessment of the individual’s life situation. The updates were adopted by the Agency’s Board Resolution No. 29 of 25 July 2025, amending the National Bank of Kazakhstan Board Resolution No. 188 of 12 November 2019, with the full text made available on the Agency’s website.

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