KZI Bank in Kazakhstan: Ziraat Bank subsidiary

## About the bank

KZI Bank, whose full name is Kazakhstan Ziraat International Bank JSC, has been on the market since 11 January 1993 (per the bank's website). Almost all of the capital belongs to Turkey's Ziraat Bank: 48,462,936 of 48,500,000 ordinary shares, or 99.92%.

The bank's licence is No. 1.2.67/241 of 3 February 2020. The bank is small: it is absent from the finratings.kz catalogue as of 16 October 2026, and there is no recent asset figure in open sources. The official website lists eight branches: two in Almaty and one each in Astana, Shymkent, Aktau, Atyrau, Karaganda and Turkistan.

## Account for non-residents

There are no current terms for non-residents on the bank's website. Older materials mentioned a copy of the non-resident's tax registration certificate, but there is no confirmation of this today. Any foreigner will need an ID document and a Kazakh IIN. The rest is decided at a branch. The bank does not serve foreigners remotely.

A plan of action:

1. Get an IIN at a public service centre or through eResidency.
2. Choose one of the eight branches and call in advance.
3. Find out whether cards are issued to foreigners and which documents are requested from Russian citizens.

## Cards and payments

KZI Bank's card products and payment systems are not named in open sources. Earlier materials mentioned Mastercard, but there is no confirmation. There is no information on Mir or the Faster Payments System (SBP), and Russian Visa and Mastercard cards do not work in Kazakhstan. Be prepared to need cash tenge in the first days. Internet banking is available at online.kzibank.kz; ask the bank whether a mobile app exists.

## Fees and limits

The bank does not publish fees for non-residents. Limits: terms for non-residents and Russian citizens are not published; there are only eight branches, and none in smaller cities; there is no confirmed information on card payment systems and currencies.

## What to ask at a branch

Ask whether the bank serves non-resident individuals and Russian citizens, which documents about stay and tax status a foreigner needs, which cards and payment systems are available and what they cost, whether there is a mobile app or only internet banking, and how a non-resident card is reissued after the ARDFM decision of 21 September 2026.

## Who it suits

KZI Bank may interest those with a link to Turkey or Ziraat Bank who live in one of the cities where it has a branch. For a first account, banks with clear terms are safer: Freedom Bank Kazakhstan, Kaspi Bank or Bank RBK.