The Agency for Regulation and Development of the Financial Market of the Republic of Kazakhstan published banking sector statistics as of 1 March 2025, showing 21 second-tier banks (including 12 with foreign participation). Total assets rose 0.6% in February to KZT 61.0tn, mainly driven by a 1.1% increase in the loan portfolio to KZT 36.0tn, while the NPL90+ share edged up to 3.3% (KZT 1.2tn) with 67.3% provisioning coverage. Loans to the economy increased 1.1% in February to KZT 33.8tn, reflecting higher tenge lending (up 1.5% to KZT 31.2tn) and lower foreign-currency lending (down 4.0% to KZT 2.7tn, with figures affected by revaluation from USD appreciation). Business lending rose 0.2% to KZT 12.7tn, with lending to large businesses up 1.1% to KZT 4.5tn and to individual entrepreneurs up 0.3% to KZT 2.3tn, while SME lending fell 0.4% to KZT 5.9tn; new business loans totalled KZT 1.5tn in February (up 3.2% year on year). Retail lending grew 1.6% to KZT 21.1tn (consumer loans up 1.8% to KZT 14.1tn and mortgages up 0.4% to KZT 6.1tn), alongside a decline in the weighted average interest rate on tenge household loans to 18.6% (from 20.3% in January). Deposits rose 0.1% to KZT 40.4tn and deposit dollarisation eased to 22.5%, while equity increased 2.1% in February to KZT 9.3tn; capital adequacy ratios stood at 20.8% (k1) and 22.4% (k2), and net profit for January to February reached KZT 449bn.