BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 1. The number of active bank cards in circulation in Turkmenistan increased by 5.6% over the past year.
This was calculated by Trend based on data published by the Central Bank of Turkmenistan.
According to the Central Bank, the total reached 6,578,780 cards as of August 1, 2026, compared with 6,230,075 cards a year earlier.
Trend calculations based on official data show that Halkbank JSCB recorded the largest increase, at 37.6%, with its card portfolio expanding from 879,719 to 1,210,288 units.
At the same time, the Turkmen-Turkish JSCB followed with a 9.3% increase.
Senagat JSCB, Turkmenbashi JSCB, Dayhanbank SCBT, and Turkmenistan State Commercial Bank recorded increases of 5.9%, 4.7%, 3.2%, and 2.4%, respectively, Trend calculations show.
Meanwhile, Rysgal JSCB and the State Bank for Foreign Economic Affairs recorded declines of 7.3% and 27.3%, respectively, Trend calculations show.
Dayhanbank SCBT retained the largest share of the market, with 2,210,084 cards in circulation, followed by Halkbank JSCB with 1,210,288 cards and Turkmenistan State Commercial Bank with 1,185,783 cards.
For reference, the Central Bank of Turkmenistan, founded in 1991, oversees the country's banking operations and monetary policy, including the regulation of the national Altyn Asyr card payment system launched in 2001. Broader adoption of bank cards gained momentum in the mid-2010s amid government efforts to digitalize the economy, and Turkmen banks have since expanded digital services such as Internet Banking, Mobile Banking, and e-commerce payment platforms alongside the growing card network.
