A new chapter may be beginning in Kazakhstan’s housing market. While many continue to debate rising prices and affordability, others are already reshaping the rules. At the Freedom Inside forum in Astana, Freedom Bank and BI Group introduced a solution that could fundamentally transform how people buy homes.
This is a savings-based housing mortgage - a product that combines several key elements at once: structured savings, preferential lending, and a fully digital application process, DKNews.kz reports.
Most importantly, everything can now be done within a single app.
When a Mortgage Becomes a Digital Service
At the core of the new product is a simple but powerful idea - make a complex process easy.
Buying an apartment is no longer about visiting offices, collecting paperwork, and waiting for approvals. Instead, it becomes a seamless digital journey - from choosing a property to securing financing.
Through the Freedom SuperApp, users will be able to:
- browse BI Group residential developments
- select apartments online, including those under construction
- apply for a mortgage fully online
- lock in property prices for three days with no commission
- gain priority access to new sales launches
In essence, the real estate market is beginning to evolve into a marketplace format.
How the New Mortgage Works
The key feature of the product is the combination of savings and lending.
This means customers first build up funds through a deposit, then access more favorable loan conditions.
There are two main scenarios:
Option 1:
- down payment from 30%
- housing loan rate - 10% per annum (APR 10.5%)
- term up to 20 years
- preliminary loan from 10.5% (APR 11%)
Option 2:
- down payment 50%
- interest rate - 5% per annum (APR 5.1%)
- term up to 25 years
- interim loan - 7% (APR 7.2%)
The higher the down payment, the lower the interest rate. While this is a familiar principle, it is now enhanced by a structured savings mechanism.
Pension Savings as an Additional Advantage
One of the key benefits is the ability to use excess pension savings.
These funds can be applied toward:
- the down payment
- topping up the linked deposit
At the same time, the deposit accrues monthly returns in tenge, making the savings process more efficient and rewarding.
Three Days That Can Make the Difference
One of the most compelling features is the price lock option.
During the first three days after a sales launch, Freedom Bank clients will be able to:
- lock in apartment prices with no commission
- receive priority access to purchases
- secure mortgages on preferential terms
In a market where prices can change rapidly, this provides a significant advantage.
Exclusive Access to BI Group Projects
The partnership with BI Group strengthens the value proposition even further.
Clients are not just getting a mortgage - they are gaining access to one of the country’s leading developers.
In some projects, apartments will be available exclusively to Freedom clients during the first three days.
This creates a “closed access” effect, where the best offers are available first to ecosystem users.
“A Unique Offering for the Market”
Aidos Zhumagulov, Member of the Board of Directors at Freedom Bank, stated:
“A savings-based online mortgage combined with exclusive access to BI Group properties is a unique and unmatched offering in the market. As with our classic digital mortgage, we invested significant effort into developing this concept and ultimately brought together several key advantages: the ability to systematically save for a home purchase, highly competitive rates for our market, and a convenient online service. I am confident that this product will allow millions of Kazakhstanis to build a transparent, manageable, and economically efficient path toward owning their own home.”
“We See the Product Through the Customer’s Eyes”
Ernar Zhanadil, Executive Director of BI Group, added:
“We always look at the product through the customer’s eyes and focus on making the purchasing process as simple and comfortable as possible. Our company has already built a system that helps people acquire housing through convenient financial tools, and together with Freedom Bank, we are offering an additional opportunity - access to favorable mortgages and fully digital оформление. We are pleased with this partnership and confident that together we will set a new level of technological advancement in the housing market.”
A Market on the Verge of Change
The product is scheduled to launch in June.
But it is already clear that this is more than just a new mortgage program.
It is a step toward transforming the entire market.
Buying a home is gradually shifting from a complex offline process to a simple digital service - fast, transparent, and manageable.
If this model gains widespread adoption, the question “how do I get a mortgage?” may soon become as simple as “how do I order a taxi?”
And changes like this often mark the beginning of a new reality.
