This is reported by RBC with reference to the client services of financial institutions. Home Credit Bank, a subsidiary of the international financial group PPF from the Czech Republic, has stopped issuing cards indefinitely. Kaspi has stopped issuing plastic cards to foreigners from January 19 to February 3, after which they will be able to issue a card with an annual validity period. Kazakh banks Freedom and CenterCredit will continue to provide credit cards to foreign citizens, but on new terms: their validity period will also be 1 year from the date of their introduction.
Photo: ru.freepik.com
The restrictions are due to the decision of the Agency for Regulation and Development of the Financial Market of Kazakhstan, adopted in early January, according to which banks are prohibited from providing foreigners with cards with a validity period of more than a year.
It is noted that the measure was taken as part of the fight against the spread of drug trafficking and illicit trafficking in crypto assets.
Kazakhstan has become one of the most sought-after destinations for the relocation of Russians, as well as the so-called "banking tourism" after February 2022 and the withdrawal of Visa and MasterCard payment systems from Russia in early 2022.
