Almaty is hosting a regional finance forum. Up to 400 financial-sector representatives will gather in the city to discuss regulatory changes, new funding sources, digitalisation, cyber fraud, consumer protection and responsible finance across Central Asia, DKNews.kz reports.
The Central Asian Microfinance Forum will take place on 21 September 2026 at The Ritz-Carlton Almaty. It is positioned as a regional platform for professional dialogue on the future of microfinance and financial inclusion in Central Asia.
Regulation and cyber fraud move to the centre of the agenda
This year’s programme focuses on practical changes already affecting the microfinance industry.
Participants will discuss the transformation of regulation, access to new sources of funding and the digitalisation of microfinance organisations. The agenda also includes the fight against cyber fraud, stronger consumer protection and the implementation of responsible finance principles.
The combination reflects the pressure facing the sector from several directions at once: financial institutions are looking for capital and technology while regulators and market participants are paying increasing attention to the security and treatment of clients.
Banks, investors and international institutions will meet in Almaty
The organisers expect 350–400 participants from Central Asia, Europe and other regions.
The Forum will bring together executives of microfinance organisations, government authorities and regulators, international financial institutions, investment companies, banks, foreign partners and investors, fintech businesses and industry associations.
International organisations represented in the business programme will include the Asian Development Bank, European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, International Finance Corporation, Microfinance Centre and Banking Association for Central and Eastern Europe.
Kazakhstan’s financial sector will also be represented by the Association of Financiers of Kazakhstan, the Agency for Regulation and Development of the Financial Market and the Financial Monitoring Agency.
That line-up brings regulators, businesses, investors and international institutions into the same discussion on how microfinance in Central Asia should develop.
KMF Bank, MOST Finance and Women in Tech among speakers
Among the confirmed speakers is Assem Bolatzhan, Adviser to the Minister of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Development of the Republic of Kazakhstan and Head of Women in Tech Kazakhstan.
The programme also lists Shalkar Zhusupov, Chairman of the Management Board of KMF Bank JSC; Yerbol Omarkhanov, Chairman of the Council of the Association of Microfinance Organisations of Kazakhstan; and Mirat Akhmetsadykov, CEO of MOST Finance.
Yuriy Li, candidate for deputy of the Kurultai and Founder of the Financial Culture of Kazakhstan Public Foundation, is also among the announced participants.
The speaker list brings together banking, microfinance, fintech and Kazakhstan’s digital-development agenda — sectors that increasingly intersect as lending and financial services move online.
Almaty Declaration will set out regional priorities
The Forum is expected to end with a concrete document rather than discussion alone.
Participants will adopt the Almaty Declaration, setting out the key principles and priorities for the further development of Central Asia’s microfinance market based on the Forum’s discussions.
This gives the September meeting a broader regional dimension: the conclusions reached in Almaty are expected to be formalised into a common framework for the sector’s future development.
Microfinance organisations will be recognised for best practices
An awards ceremony will also be held during the Forum.
Microfinance organisations will be recognised for achievements and best practices in supporting entrepreneurship and SMEs, corporate governance, and protecting clients’ rights and interests.
The Forum is organised by the Association of Microfinance Organisations of Kazakhstan and the Coordination Council of Associations of Microfinance Organisations of Central Asian Countries.
Earlier, we covered how MOST Finance presented a digital lending model for SMEs in Almaty, illustrating how technology, alternative credit assessment and access to business funding are already reshaping Kazakhstan’s financial market.
On 21 September, that discussion will move to a regional level, with up to 400 participants expected to help shape the priorities later reflected in the Almaty Declaration.
