In Kazakhstan, the fintech business is rising at a quick tempo, pushed by speedy adoption of digital funds, ecosystem companies and super-apps, amongst different digital monetary companies, a brand new report by Fintech Seek the advice of, MOST Ventures and RISE says. Shifting ahead, supportive initiatives from the federal government and infrastructure enhancement efforts are anticipated to additional drive innovation and adoption within the sector.
These are among the many key insights drawn from the Fintech in Kazakhstan report, an business report launched on April 14, 2023 that appears on the state of the home fintech ecosystem and which factors out to booming utilization of fintech companies and a swift towards digital funds.
In line with the report, digital transactions are rising quickly. Since 2017, the quantity of cashless transactions have doubled every year, hovering from a mere US$5 billion in 2017 to US$158 billion in 2022, knowledge from the Nationwide Financial institution of Kazakhstan (NBK) present.
Quantity of cashless transactions, 2017-2022, US$ billions, Supply: Fintech in Kazakhstan, Fintech Seek the advice of, MOST Ventures and RISE, April 2023
On the identical time, retailers are deploying point-of-sale (POS) terminals at a gentle tempo to regulate to altering client conduct. In 2017, solely 108k POS units have been in operation in Kazakhstan, a quantity that rose to 831k in 2023. The figures counsel a 70%+ annual development charge within the variety of POS terminals deployed within the nation.
Variety of point-of-sale (POS) units in Kazakhstan, Supply: Fintech in Kazakhstan, Fintech Seek the advice of, MOST Ventures and RISE, April 2023
A number of tendencies are driving this development, the report says, together with booming e-commerce exercise and new infrastructure options launched by the central financial institution.
In June 2022, the NBK launched its Instantaneous Fee System into operation, permitting shoppers to make on the spot interbank transfers 24/7 utilizing solely a cell phone quantity and a QR code. The hassle is a part of a broader ambition to revamp the complete fee system and develop a powerful technological infrastructure for digital monetary companies.
The rise of super-apps
One other development outlined within the report is the rise of fintech ecosystems and super-apps. These platforms, which mix numerous monetary and non-banking companies together with on-line funds, cell banking, e-commerce and life-style, are gaining momentum in Kazakhstan and are witnessing booming adoption from shoppers.
Kaspi.kz, a pioneer within the subject since 2014, has seen its buyer base develop to 12.6 million month-to-month energetic customers, a quantity that represents about 65% of Kazakhstan’s complete inhabitants.
The corporate gives an built-in consumer-focused ecosystem providing loans, deposits and cash transfers companies, in addition to e-commerce, location companies, a reward program and a messaging characteristic.
Kaspi.kz’s digital ecosystem, Supply: Fintech in Kazakhstan, Fintech Seek the advice of, MOST Ventures and RISE, April 2023
Based in 2008 and headquartered in Almaty, Kaspi.kz is reportedly getting ready for a US itemizing that will come this yr, the corporate instructed Axios earlier this month.
To maintain up with the development, banking incumbents are actively creating and deploying their very own fintech ecosystems and super-apps.
For instance, Halyk Financial institution, the biggest monetary group in Kazakhstan, has constructed a digital ecosystem accessible by means of a cell app that gives customary banking merchandise similar to fee companies, transfers and playing cards, in addition to life-style companies together with cinema, climate, commerce and journey.
8 million retail prospects are reportedly utilizing Halyk Financial institution’s Homebank on-line banking system and 273,000 company and small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) prospects are utilizing its Onlinebank portal, the financial institution stated in its 2021 annual monetary report.
Halyk Financial institution’s digital ecosystem, Supply: Fintech in Kazakhstan, Fintech Seek the advice of, MOST Ventures and RISE, April 2023
In addition to digital funds and super-apps, the report notes that wealthtech and digital buying and selling platforms have recorded sustained development these previous years, on the again of legislative adjustments and technological developments.
Cell funding apps are actually taking part in a vital position in democratizing inventory buying and selling by enhancing accessibility by means of decrease charges, decrease capital necessities in addition to intuitive and seamless digital consumer experiences, the report says. That is evidenced by the expansion of the variety of retail investor accounts in Kazakhstan, which grew almost fivefold from simply 119k in 2019 to 581k in 2022.
Purchase now, pay later (BNPL) is one other fintech development that’s been choosing up in Kazakhstan, the report says. The development was spearheaded by Kaspi.kz earlier than different gamers began getting into the market and started providing comparable companies.
Conducive authorities initiatives
Governmental efforts to encourage innovation and digital reforms have performed a vital position within the development of fintech in Kazakhstan, the report says. New infrastructural tasks are at the moment within the works and may additional propel the home fintech sector.
In February, the NBK outlined in a paper its imaginative and prescient for the way forward for monetary companies, laying out its ambition to develop “a sustainable digital monetary ecosystem.”
To realize these objectives, the central financial institution stated it’s implementing quite a few infrastructure options supposed to boost monetary stability, provide a stage taking part in subject for all business contributors and develop wholesome competitors.
These infrastructure options embrace the so-called Nationwide Fee System, digital biometric identification, a platform for the safe alternate of knowledge based mostly on open programming interfaces (open APIs) and an answer for know-your-customer (KYC) procedures.
The NBK can be engaged on a retail central financial institution digital forex (CBDC), the Digital Tenge, which will probably be piloted with shoppers and retailers this yr, the report says.
The CBDC will use an open supply distributed ledger and will probably be issued in token type. The system will help fee choices together with NFC, QR code funds, biometrics, and offline funds, it says.
In line with the report, Kazakhstan is at the moment residence to greater than 150 fintech firms, with funds, transfers and cell wallets being the biggest vertical. The section accounts for 20% of all fintech firms within the nation, and is adopted by monetary software program/back- and middle-office options, with a 18% market share, e-commerce and e-marketplace, at 15%, and financial savings and investments, at 11%.
Between 2018-2022, fintech accounted for 12% of all enterprise capital offers in Kazakhstan, making it the second largest sector within the nation by deal account after {the marketplace} and e-commerce sector.
Fintech firms in Kazakhstan (none exhaustive record), Supply: Fintech in Kazakhstan, Fintech Seek the advice of, MOST Ventures and RISE, April 2023
This text first appeared on fintechnews.ch
Featured picture credit score: Edited from Freepik
