Launch date for unified QR code in Kazakhstan announced

Kazakhstan is set to introduce a unified QR code payment system, enabling citizens to make transactions using QR codes from any bank within a single, integrated network. National Bank Chairman Timur Suleimenov announced that the system will officially launch on July 19, fulfilling earlier promises of its implementation this year.

Suleimenov explained that the necessary legal foundation for this new sector of the economy was established with parliamentary support on May 1 of this year. This legislative backing is crucial for the seamless integration and operation of the interbank payment system.

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This year, starting July 19, a unified interbank QR payment system will be launched. Thanks to the support of Parliament, a legal framework for launching a new sector of the economy was created on May 1 of this year.

Previously, in April, Suleimenov had indicated the approximate timeline for the unified QR code's rollout but refrained from specifying an exact date. He noted the extensive work involved, including significant investments by banks in their own technologies and security measures for QR payments. The current focus is on integrating these separate systems securely to ensure interoperability.

The National Bank had initially planned for the unified QR code system to be fully operational by the end of the first quarter of 2026. The adoption of the Law "On Banks and Banking Activities" and related amendments in 2025 laid the groundwork for a national digital financial infrastructure, encompassing interbank mobile payments and the unified QR code.

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We have examined this process in sufficient detail and depth. Our own team is working on it. Banks have made fairly large investments in their own technologies, separately within their own ecosystems, and in their own security tools for these QR payments. Now these systems need to be integrated so that they become available to one another in a secure way.