The Antifraud Center has prevented 127 billion tenge in fraudulent schemes.

The National Antifraud Awards 2026 ceremony took place in Almaty as part of the Central Asia Fintech Summit (CAFS) 2026, honoring financial institutions and police departments that have made a significant contribution to countering financial fraud and developing financial security in Kazakhstan.

Awards were presented for results in returning stolen funds, effective cooperation between banks and law enforcement agencies, the development of financial literacy, and contributions to improving the National Antifraud Center.

One of the key categories was “Return of the Year,” which recognizes the work of law enforcement agencies in returning funds to victims of fraud. The finalists were the police departments of Zhetysu, Turkistan, and Kyzylorda regions. The Turkistan Region Police Department was named the winner.

In the “Reliable Partner” category among law enforcement agencies, units that interact most effectively with financial market participants when handling fraud incidents were recognized. Finalists included the police departments of Astana, Almaty, and Atyrau region. The Astana City Police Department won the award.

The Almaty Police Department received the award “For Contribution to the Development of a Financial Security Culture.” This category recognizes work on preventing financial fraud and raising citizen awareness. In 2025, the Antifraud Center, together with banks and law enforcement officers, conducted educational seminars titled “Financial Security in the Digital Environment” for students. The police departments of Astana and Karaganda region were also among the finalists in this category.

A separate block of the Antifraud Awards was dedicated to financial institutions that participate daily in identifying suspicious transactions, preventing fraud, and returning funds to victims.

Freedom Bank received the “Antifraud Partner of the Year” award, given for its contribution to the development of financial fraud counteraction mechanisms. Kaspi Bank and Home Credit Bank were also finalists in this category.

Kaspi Bank was recognized as the “Reliable Partner” based on the evaluation of law enforcement representatives—for effectiveness of interaction, transparency, and a high level of partnership. Freedom Bank and Home Credit Bank were among the finalists.

The award “For Contribution to the Development of a Financial Security Culture” among financial institutions went to Halyk Bank. Together with law enforcement officers, the bank participated in large-scale educational work with students: the bank’s branch network was involved in the initiative, enabling thousands of young people to complete financial security training. Bereke Bank and Freedom Bank also competed for the winner’s spot in this category.

Special awards “For Contribution to the Development of the Antifraud Center” were presented to WhyHappen, Eurasian Bank, Bereke Bank, and Freedom Bank. These organizations participated in the pilot project “Session Antifraud,” aimed at developing new mechanisms for detecting and preventing fraud.

“Effective counteraction to financial fraud requires a systematic approach: shared infrastructure, prompt data exchange, and coordinated actions of all participants. Over two years, the National Antifraud Center has become a platform for such interaction, bringing together more than 270 organizations. The next stage is to develop tools that allow identifying risks even earlier and preventing fraudulent transactions before financial damage is inflicted on citizens. The Antifraud Awards recognize those who make a real contribution to this work,” noted Zhanar Samaeva, Chairperson of the Management Board of the National Payment Corporation.

Information:

The National Antifraud Center was established in 2024 on the basis of the National Payment Corporation and integrates banks, payment and microfinance organizations, government agencies, law enforcement structures, and telecom operators into a single information framework. Participants of the platform can exchange information on suspicious transactions in real time and take measures to prevent financial damage.

Today, more than 270 participants are connected to the National Antifraud Center. As of September 1, 2026, fraudulent operations totaling 127 billion tenge have been prevented thanks to the work of the Antifraud Center.

About the Event:

Central Asia Fintech Summit (CAFS): One of the major events in the region’s financial and technology sectors. The event brings together banking top executives, public sector representatives, and fintech companies to discuss the future of the digital economy and financial market.

Event Organizers: National Payment Corporation, Kazakhstan Fintech Network, National Bank of the Republic of Kazakhstan.

The third annual Central Asia Fintech Summit (CAFS) 2026 took place at the Tselinny Center of Contemporary Art in Almaty. Held under the theme “The Era of Trust: Shaping the Financial Market of the Next Decade,” the summit brought together over 4,000 participants—representatives of financial and technology companies, regulators, government agencies, and the expert community. Experts from more than 15 countries took part in the summit.

Opening the event, Timur Suleimenov, Chairman of the National Bank of the Republic of Kazakhstan, congratulated the summit organizer—the National Payment Corporation (NPC) of the NBRK—on its 30th anniversary, noting its contribution to the development of the cashless economy, payment sovereignty, and the country’s financial industry.

In his speech, Timur Suleimenov outlined the next stage of development for Kazakhstan’s financial market. Digital technologies are changing its architecture, creating conditions for the emergence of new participants, instruments, and settlement methods. Alongside this, the role of the regulator is also changing—it is required to act proactively, support innovation and competition, while simultaneously ensuring the reliability of and trust in the financial system.

One of the key takeaways was that the basic digital infrastructure and necessary regulation in Kazakhstan have already been formed. The next stage is the practical use of these capabilities to create new products, partnerships, and business models.

New Financial Market Architecture

One of the central themes of CAFS 2026 was the new architecture of Kazakhstan’s payment market. Starting October 2026, regulations regarding first-category payment organizations—a new type of regulated participant—will come into force. They will operate under a license from the National Bank and will be able to combine the provision of payment services with certain types of banking operations.

The entry of new participants should create conditions for increased competition, lower transaction costs, and the emergence of new financial products. Market participants, including global players, are already showing interest in the new institution.

Digital Financial Infrastructure in Action

Today, the main components of the National Digital Financial Infrastructure are operating in Kazakhstan, combining interbank payments, the digital tenge, biometrics, and tools to protect citizens and businesses from financial fraud.

One of the key achievements of 2026 was the launch of the Interbank Mobile Payments System. Since its launch on July 19, more than 20 million transactions totaling about 400 billion tenge have been processed via phone number transfers and Unified QR.

The development of the digital tenge continues, being phased into the digital ecosystem of public finances. In 2026–2027, digital tenge turnover is expected to reach 2 trillion tenge.

Another area of development has become the digital asset market. Currently, 34 projects are being implemented in the regulatory sandbox, including solutions in tokenization, stablecoins, crypto payments, and custodial services. $700 million has already been allocated to the National Crypto Reserve. Jointly with the Alatau administration, preparations are underway to launch Crypto City with flexible regulation for projects in the field of digital assets, payments, and the tokenized economy.

Special attention at the summit was paid to artificial intelligence and its practical application in the financial system. AI-based solutions are already used in anti-fraud, currency control, and financial monitoring. In particular, the AI analyst of the National Antifraud Center accelerates the investigation of fraudulent schemes by up to 80 times.

Security as the Foundation of Trust

One of the highlights of the program was the National Antifraud Awards 2026 ceremony, dedicated to the results of joint work between financial organizations and law enforcement agencies in countering financial fraud.

Today, the National Antifraud Center brings together over 270 participants. As of September 1, 2026, fraudulent transactions totaling 127 billion tenge were prevented thanks to its work. Awards were received by financial institutions and police units that demonstrated results in the return of stolen funds, cooperation in the fight against fraud, development of financial literacy, and improvement of the National Antifraud Center.

New Partnerships

A practical continuation of the discussions at CAFS 2026 was new agreements reached between market participants. Memorandums were signed during the summit between the National Bank and Tether, as well as VEON, aimed at developing cooperation and working out new projects in the financial and technological markets of Kazakhstan.

A separate agreement on the development of cross-border payment services was concluded between the NPC of the NBRK and the National Interbank Processing Center JSC of the Republic of Uzbekistan—the operator of the HUMO payment system.

The parties plan to develop mutual acquiring of national QR codes and cross-border transfers between users of the two countries via habitual mobile banking applications.

As Zhanar Samayeva, Chairperson of the Management Board of the National Payment Corporation JSC, noted, the main task of the partnership is to create technological conditions under which payment services will be user-friendly, secure, and compatible at the level of national infrastructures.

From Infrastructure to New Products

An important part of CAFS 2026 was the support of new technological solutions. The summit summed up the results of the Fintech Stars Battle—a pitch session for fintech startups whose projects were evaluated by representatives of banks, venture funds, and tech companies.

The winner of the Fintech Stars Battle 2026 was the SHART RATE project—a digital platform for secure online transactions. The project received the opportunity to attract investments of up to $100,000 from White Hill Capital under a SAFE contract.

Another strategic direction outlined at CAFS 2026 was the development of exports for Kazakhstan’s financial industry. This refers both to the entry of domestic companies into foreign markets and to the attraction of global players who will be able to use Kazakhstan’s jurisdiction and infrastructure to work with international clients.

The Central Asia Fintech Summit 2026 demonstrated the transition of Kazakhstan’s financial market to the next stage of development: the basic digital infrastructure and regulatory environment have been formed, and the key task is their practical use—for the emergence of new participants and products, the development of technologies, international partnerships, and new business models.