ROUND TABLE

More for Your Money

Foreign banks see Kazakhstan’s banking sector as a wealth of opportunities and a potential hot spot for future investments.

PRASAD ABRAHAM

AWARENESS

In terms of inquiries through our switchboard and email server, we have seen the most interest from the retail sector. We know there is a great degree of interest and awareness in that area of the business.

MEETING NEEDS

In response to public interest we have just commissioned a fairly extensive market research survey to gauge public perceptions and needs. We have also looked at what challenges we could face in terms of legal obstacles.

EQUAL CHANCES

The economy is growing at a rate of 7% without necessarily stepping on anybody’s toes or cannibalizing other businesses. This natural growth will give us the opportunity to meet our objectives.

RUDI GEERDINK

MORE FOR INVESTMENTS

In the past, our customers were very conservative, and preferred to keep their money in the bank. Now we’re seeing more people use their funds for investments, albeit in a conservative manner.

LARGER COMPANIES

We want to focus on larger companies, rather than SMEs. We support large companies as they develop their businesses. Such companies are very dominant in the economy vis-à-vis the SME loan segment.

MORE EXCHANGE

Asian economies, particularly China, are large investors in Kazakhstan. We can anticipate continued Chinese interest in investing money in Kazakhstan. There are more flights to Asian destinations, especially Hong Kong, and that indicates more exchange and more opening up.

ASIF ZAIDI

RIDE THE WAVE

Credit demand will come in response to increased investments. There are significant investment requirements in the country in the sectors of energy, power, and mining. If some parts of the local capital markets or the financial industry can supply these funds, the resources will be absorbed and create a new wave of demand.

CONFIDENT & HAPPY

The year 2011 was very successful for us, and we were very satisfied with our operations throughout the country. We have a great deal of confidence in Kazakhstan’s short- and long-term outlook, and this gives us plenty to be happy about.

STRONG & STEADY

In today’s interconnected world, any economic tremor will affect nearly everyone at some level. However, this is not a major cause for concern, and we do not expect a second crisis to destabilize Kazakhstan in any major way.

KADİR ÇEVİK

PERFECT COMBO

We are part of an international banking group and have been active in Kazakhstan for more than 10 years. We aim to combine our international know-how with our experience in Kazakhstan.

QUALITY & ADVANTAGES

Besides financial strength, we are focused on the products and services that deliver high-quality added value to our clients. The quality of our staff and service, variety of products and services, IT infrastructure, and large distribution channels are some of our competitive advantages.

NEW PLANS

We will continue to deliver unique services to the market, especially in credit cards and alternative delivery channels. In 2012 we launched the installment feature in credit cards and have plans to introduce several advantages to our credit-card holders.