An alternative for Russian citizens to bank cards in Kazakhstan has been found: they are now opening bank cards in Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Kyrgyzstan remotely.
This happened after the government of Kazakhstan tightened the rules for issuing payment cards to non-residents starting from January 2025. Several large banks, including Home Credit and Kaspi, stopped issuing cards to foreigners. Other banks, like Freedom Bank and «Центркредит», continued to serve only clients who came in person. Later on, Kaspi bank resumed issuing cards to individuals with a residence permit in Kazakhstan. started again.
Currently, banks in Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan are in high demand among Russians. For example, the International Bank of Tajikistan and «Хумо» microfinance company are offering cards in US dollars and euros to foreigners. The validity period of these cards, which lasts up to five years, makes them more advantageous compared to Kazakhstani cards.
In Kyrgyzstan, financial institutions like «Компаньон», Bakai-Bank, DemirBank have become popular among Russians. In Uzbekistan, Asia Alliance Bank, Aloqabank and other banks are offering cards to foreign customers.
As Alexander Linnikov, the chairman of the National Payment Council emphasizes, the process of opening a bank card in foreign countries is becoming easier. It is possible to formalize a card remotely without any additional expenses in banks of Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Kyrgyzstan.
"This process is quite simple. Many foreign banks have been providing such services to Russian clients for a long time. They have offices or reliable representatives in Russia that accept applications from Russian citizens, and carry out the process of opening accounts and issuing cards. There is no need for extensive documentation. This method was previously used by banks in Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, and Uzbekistan as well."
According to the expert, such cards serve as an alternative to international payment systems – Visa and Mastercard for Russians. Moreover, the banks of friendly nations are competing to attract Russian customers.
It is worth noting that under Russian law, citizens are required to report bank accounts opened abroad to the Russian tax authorities.
Abdulloh Sayyid
