Several existing loans do not mean an automatic rejection. Kazakhstan’s National Bank says borrowers can still qualify for new credit as long as their overall debt burden remains within the existing limit, DKNews.kz reports.
The clarification comes from Akylzhan Baimagambetov, Deputy Governor of the National Bank of Kazakhstan, in a set of key points on recent credit-market trends. The current debt-service burden limit remains 50% of monthly income, and no new restrictions have been introduced for borrowers.
The number of loans is not the deciding factor
For borrowers, the key issue is not how many loans or instalment plans they already have, but how much of their monthly income is committed to debt repayments.
The National Bank explicitly states that having several loans or instalment plans is not, by itself, a reason to reject a new loan application. What matters is whether the borrower can service both existing and new obligations.
There is, however, a hard ceiling.
If total monthly debt payments exceed 50% of the borrower’s income after the new loan is included, the bank cannot issue that loan.
In practical terms, a person with several small loans may still qualify, while someone with only one large loan could be rejected if that single payment already consumes too much of their monthly income.
Kazakhstan keeps the 50% debt-service limit
The main borrower-level metric is the debt-service-to-income ratio, or DSTI.
It measures the share of a borrower’s monthly income used to repay loans.
Kazakhstan’s current maximum remains 50%. The National Bank has not announced any reduction in that threshold or additional borrowing restrictions in the material provided.
The regulator also says that, at this stage, the existing set of macroprudential tools is sufficient to manage the risks it has identified. Household debt and the wider credit market will continue to be monitored.
Mortgages, car loans and unsecured credit will be tracked separately
One change does affect how the regulator monitors the market.
Banks will now analyse the debt-to-income ratio, or DTI, separately for different types of lending.
Previously, the measure was monitored across the overall loan portfolio. It will now be tracked separately for car loans, mortgages and unsecured consumer loans.
For borrowers, the distinction is important: there is currently no maximum DTI threshold, and this indicator does not determine whether a bank approves or rejects a new loan.
At this stage, it is a monitoring tool designed to give the regulator a clearer picture of where debt is accumulating fastest.
DSTI and DTI measure different risks
The two ratios sound similar, but they answer different questions.
DSTI shows how much of a borrower’s monthly income goes toward loan repayments.
DTI compares a borrower’s total outstanding debt with annual income. The calculation includes unpaid loans, microloans and the new loan being considered.
Their roles are also different.
DSTI is taken into account when a bank decides whether to approve a loan. DTI is currently used for market monitoring and data collection, not as a direct lending restriction.
Transfers between your own accounts do not count as income
The National Bank also clarified how banks may verify a borrower’s income.
The list of approved methods has not changed in 2026. Banks may still use money credited to a customer’s bank card as evidence of income.
However, such inflows are subject to closer verification.
Transfers between a person’s own accounts — for example, moving money from a deposit account to a card and back — do not count as income. Borrowed funds are also excluded.
This means that high turnover on a bank card does not automatically translate into a higher recognised income for credit assessment purposes.
Business lending is growing much faster than unsecured consumer credit
The clarification comes as Kazakhstan’s credit market is gradually shifting toward business lending.
As of July 1, 2026, the corporate loan portfolio had increased by 17.1% year on year.
Lending to small and medium-sized enterprises grew by 29.6%, while SMEs and individual entrepreneurs accounted for 69% of corporate lending.
Over the previous 12 months, businesses received KZT 22 trillion in loans, up 16.8% from a year earlier.
By comparison, lending to individuals increased by 14.5%, while unsecured consumer loans rose by 9.4%.
That means credit to businesses — particularly SMEs — is now expanding significantly faster than unsecured household borrowing.
The National Bank sees a more balanced credit market
According to the National Bank, the structure of lending is gradually becoming more balanced.
Business credit is growing at a faster pace, while consumer lending is slowing. The regulator links this trend to previously introduced micro- and macroprudential measures aimed at cooling the consumer-credit segment.
The stated goal is not to reduce access to credit across the economy.
Instead, the National Bank says credit resources are being redirected from consumption toward financing productive economic activity, while policymakers seek to prevent excessive risk from building up in household borrowing.
No additional tightening is planned for now
For borrowers, the practical rules remain straightforward.
The maximum DSTI stays at 50%. Having several loans does not automatically disqualify a borrower. And the DTI ratio is currently a monitoring tool rather than a new lending barrier.
The National Bank says there is no need for additional tightening at this stage, although household debt will remain under close supervision.
The broader trend is equally clear: SME lending is growing at 29.6% a year, compared with 9.4% growth in unsecured household loans — a sign that Kazakhstan’s credit market is increasingly tilting toward business financing.
