The Agency for Regulation and Development of the Financial Market of the Republic of Kazakhstan published an update on a meeting chaired by Madina Abylkassymova with banks, microfinance organizations, collection agencies and financial ombudsmen. Measures restricting unsecured consumer lending have helped reduce portfolio growth from 14.6% in August 2025 to 7.5% in August 2026. These measures include tighter debt burden ratio requirements, a ban on lending to borrowers more than 90 days past due, limits on consumer loan amounts, a lower maximum annual effective interest rate, stronger supervision and minimum reserve requirements for banks. Problem debt remains a leading source of complaints, with the agency reviewing 144,300 submissions in the first nine months of 2026. Banks accounted for 48%, microfinance organizations 33% and collection services 9%. The agency expects creditors to assess borrowers’ income and actual repayment capacity, offer appropriate debt resolution measures and address complaints before they reach public authorities. Customer rights units should be evaluated by whether they resolve problems, not only whether they meet response deadlines, with unresolved disputes referred to financial ombudsmen. Fraudulently obtained loans fell from 8,700 in 2024 to 1,900 in 2026 following tighter consent, identity verification and antifraud controls. Banks are expected to improve their antifraud systems and subject their effectiveness to independent audits. The financial ombudsman service was also tasked with integrating the full complaint process into the FinKomek platform, which should route cases to creditors or ombudsmen, track deadlines and implementation, and notify applicants of outcomes. Financial institutions must provide the necessary funding, including for digital solutions.

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