According to the National Bank of Kazakhstan, in 2023, Kazakhstani citizens made 11.6 billion transactions totaling 165.0 trillion tenge using bank cards. A significant portion of these transactions, 11.3 billion, were conducted through cashless payments amounting to 141.9 trillion tenge, showing a 36.7% increase.
In the same year, there was a 5.2% decrease in cash withdrawals, with cardholders conducting 241.1 million transactions amounting to 23.1 trillion tenge. The share of cashless transactions rose from 83% to 86%, while cash withdrawal transactions decreased from 17% to 14% in 2023.
The Central Bank reported that most cashless transactions in Kazakhstan are carried out online and through mobile banking. Over 24.1 million transactions totaling more than 344.5 billion tenge are conducted digitally by Kazakhstani citizens daily. In the second half of 2023, 1.05 billion transactions amounting to 6.3 trillion tenge were completed through QR codes.
As of January 1, 2024, the total number of active payment cards in Kazakhstan reached 38.7 million. In 2023, each active payment card was used for an average of 312 cashless transactions, totaling 3.9 million tenge.
The network of banks accepting payments for goods and services expanded significantly, with the number of POS terminals reaching 1.04 million units, a 25.3% increase, across 793.1 thousand enterprises, a 39.7% rise. On average, each POS terminal processed 2.4 thousand transactions amounting to 15.2 million tenge in 2023.
The shift towards cashless transactions in Kazakhstan reflects a growing trend towards digital banking and online payments, indicating a more efficient and convenient way of conducting financial transactions in the country.
