A study examining the economic returns from artificial intelligence in Kazakhstan’s financial sector will be presented at the Central Asia Fintech Summit 2026 in Almaty on September 11. According to the organisers, the survey’s respondent base has doubled to 160 this year, with a focus on productivity and returns on technology investment, DKNews.kz reports.
The summit will take place at the Tselinny Center for Contemporary Culture. Kazakhstan’s National Payment Corporation and Kazakhstan Fintech Network (KFTN) are organising the event with support from the National Bank of Kazakhstan, the country’s central bank. Discussions will also cover digital assets and cooperation between banks, public authorities and telecom operators to combat financial fraud.
Measuring the business value of AI
Fintech Center is preparing the study, “Artificial Intelligence Adoption in Kazakhstan’s Financial Market,” jointly with the National Bank, the Agency for Regulation and Development of the Financial Market and the Astana International Financial Centre (AIFC). The research is now in its third year.
This year’s focus is how financial institutions measure AI’s economic impact, changes in productivity and investment returns. The findings have yet to be presented, so the announcement alone does not establish how successfully the sector is recovering its spending on the technology.
Two further studies will be released at the summit. Fintech in Kazakhstan 2026, prepared by RISE Research and Fintech Center with National Bank support, will map market participants, investment trends and barriers to growth.
Digital Financial Assets in Kazakhstan 2026 examines demand for these instruments and traditional financial institutions’ readiness to connect with new infrastructure. According to the organisers, it combines international benchmarking with a survey covering 79% of companies in the market under study.
Coordinating fraud detection across institutions
A separate discussion will address the development of the National Anti-Fraud Center, which brings together banks, law enforcement agencies and telecom operators to counter financial fraud.
Participants will examine technologies for detecting and blocking fraudulent transaction chains in real time. The programme also includes awards recognising leading participants in the anti-fraud system.
Dias Savetkanov, founder and CEO of Kazakhstan Fintech Network, explained the thinking behind the summit:
“As algorithms make more and more financial decisions and digital assets become part of a regulated market, trust ceases to be just a word in a corporate mission statement. It becomes a technological standard. That is why, at CAFS 2026, we discuss trust not as a philosophy, but as the foundational architecture of the financial market for the next decade.”
The summit’s announced speakers include National Bank Governor Timur Suleimenov; Madina Abylkassymova, Chair of the Agency for Regulation and Development of the Financial Market; National Bank Deputy Governor Binur Zhalenov; Zhanar Samaeva, Chair of the National Payment Corporation’s Management Board; and AIFC Governor Renat Bekturov.
Bank executives and representatives of technology companies and international financial institutions are also expected to join the discussions.
Five startups will pitch to banks and investors
CAFS 2026 will host the final of Fintech Stars Battle. According to the organisers, five finalists have been selected from more than 50 teams to present their solutions to banks and investors.
The winner will have an opportunity to secure up to US$100,000 in investment under a SAFE agreement. The competition terms also list an accelerator programme in Dubai and special prizes from partners. The funding is presented as a potential investment, rather than a guaranteed cash award.
The summit will take place at 59 Masanchi Street, Almaty. According to the official attendance information, admission is free with advance registration. An online broadcast is also planned, with access details to be published through the summit’s official channels.
For further context, our report on AI and stablecoins at Astana Finance Days examines how financial leaders view these technologies. Our explainer on fraud involving so-called “protective loans” describes how scammers persuade people to borrow and transfer money themselves. Both articles are available in Russian.
