BAKU, Azerbaijan, July 4. Kazakhstan’s payment card market continues to show steady growth, with the total number of cards in circulation reaching 83.92 million as of June 1, 2026, up from 81.24 million a year earlier, according to data from the National Bank of Kazakhstan.
The number of international payment system cards rose from 53.97 million to 55.64 million.
Visa International remains the clear market leader, expanding its card base to 40.62 million from 37.90 million in June 2025. Growth was mainly supported by debit cards, which increased to 37.73 million from 34.93 million. At the same time, the number of MasterCard Worldwide cards declined to 14.12 million from 15.03 million a year earlier.
Alongside the overall expansion in card issuance, usage activity also increased. The number of actively used cards rose to 42.25 million compared to 41.34 million in June 2025.
The development of payment infrastructure and banking digitalization is also reflected in the growth of online banking services. The number of active users of digital banking platforms increased to 29.19 million from 26.68 million a year earlier.
In addition, Kazakhstan’s banking network has become more technologically advanced, with the number of ATMs offering both cash withdrawal and deposit functions rising to 10,339 units from 8,976 last year, indicating a gradual shift toward cashless transactions in the economy.
Meanwhile, Secretary-General of the Digital Cooperation Organization (DCO), Deemah AlYahya, told Trend in an exclusive interview that over the past several years, Kazakhstan has made notable progress in areas such as e-government, fintech, digital public services, and emerging technologies.
"According to the 2024 UN E-Government Development Index, Kazakhstan ranked 24th globally and was among the world’s top-performing countries in online government services, reflecting the country’s substantial investments in digital governance and public sector modernization," she said.
The secretary-general pointed out that the country is also seeing steady growth in its digital economy. E-commerce accounted for 14.1% of total retail trade in 2024, with the government targeting an increase to 18.5% in the coming years. Kazakhstan also ranked 47th globally in the 2025 ICT Development Index, highlighting continued progress in connectivity, digital infrastructure, and technology adoption, she said, citing official data.
