ASTANA, Kazakhstan, June 3. Banks in Kazakhstan recorded a 16% quarter-on-quarter increase in the number of loan applications from large businesses in the first quarter of 2026, according to the National Bank of Kazakhstan’s survey of second-tier banks, Trend reports.
At the same time, the average loan size rose by 80% to 18.8 billion tenge ($39.9 million).
In the large business segment, some banks observed deferred demand for investment projects and a wait-and-see approach among borrowers amid current economic conditions. At the same time, several banks reported a significant increase in requested financing volumes for strategic projects, which affected overall indicators.
Conversely, banks attributed a slight decline in demand from small and medium-sized businesses to the utilization of previously allocated state support funds and seasonal factors.
According to the National Bank, financial institutions are currently discussing proposed changes to the terms of the "Örleu" funding program with the "Damu" Entrepreneurship Development Fund.
Banks also noted that it is still too early to assess the potential impact of the new Tax Code on possible shifts of individual entrepreneurs into the self-employed category, emphasizing the need for a longer observation period to evaluate effects on lending activity.
