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Kazakhstan Integrates Interbank Mobile QR Payments With China, UAE, and Other Partners

The National Bank of Kazakhstan is working to integrate its national mobile payment infrastructure with systems in partner nations, including China and the UAE. Deputy Chairman Binur Zhalenov stated the initiative will enable reciprocal QR code payments for travellers and foreign visitors using their domestic banking apps. Central Asian central banks also agreed to establish regional QR connectivity mechanisms by the end of 2026.

Issuing authority
National Bank of Kazakhstan
Jurisdiction
Kazakhstan
Publication date
November 9, 2026
Stage
Draft / consultation
Official source
news.google.com
Illustration: A customer using a smartphone to scan a digital QR code payment terminal at a modern retail checkout counter inside a brightly lit comme
Illustration

The National Bank of Kazakhstan is actively working on integrating Kazakhstan's interbank mobile payment system with similar platforms in foreign jurisdictions, deputy Chairman Binur Zhalenov stated in an interview with Qazinform News Agency.

According to Zhalenov, partner countries participating in the cross-border integration effort include China, the United Arab Emirates, Turkiye, Kyrgyzstan, India, Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan, and Indonesia.

Zhalenov explained that the system integration will enable Kazakh citizens travelling abroad to make retail purchases by scanning merchant QR codes directly through their domestic banking applications. In return, foreign nationals travelling in Kazakhstan will be able to complete QR-code transactions using mobile banking apps from their home countries.

The development follows an earlier agreement among the central banks of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Azerbaijan to design an integration mechanism for their respective national QR payment systems by the end of 2026.

The National Bank of Kazakhstan previously presented its unified interbank QR payment platform, which was scheduled to roll out to customers of the country's major commercial banks on July 17.

Sources

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