Article 15. Requirements for opening a branch of a non–resident bank of the Republic of Kazakhstan of the Law on Banks and Banking Activities in the Republic of Kazakhstan Kazakhstan

Home / Laws / Article 15. Requirements for opening a branch of a non–resident bank of the Republic of Kazakhstan of the Law on Banks and Banking Activities in the Republic of Kazakhstan Kazakhstan

A non–resident bank of the Republic of Kazakhstan has the right to apply to the authorized body for permission to open a branch in the territory of the Republic of Kazakhstan if all the following conditions are met:

1) the total assets of a non–resident bank of the Republic of Kazakhstan should not be less than the amount equivalent to ten billion US dollars;

2) a non–resident bank of the Republic of Kazakhstan must be a legal entity according to the legislation of the state of which it is a resident;

3) the State of which the non–resident bank of the Republic of Kazakhstan is a resident is a participant in international cooperation in the field of preventing and countering the legalization (laundering) of proceeds from crime, financing of terrorism and financing the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, and also cooperates with the Financial Action Task Force on Money Laundering (FATF);

4) the availability of consent (permission) for a non–resident bank of the Republic of Kazakhstan to open a branch in the territory of the Republic of Kazakhstan, issued by the financial supervisory authority of the state of which the non–resident bank of the Republic of Kazakhstan is a resident, in cases where such consent (permission) is required by the legislation of such state;

5) a non–resident bank of the Republic of Kazakhstan has a valid license (valid permit) for banking activities issued (issued) by the financial supervisory authority of the state of which the non–resident bank of the Republic of Kazakhstan is a resident;

6) a non–resident bank of the Republic of Kazakhstan has the minimum required rating from one of the rating agencies, the list of which is established by a regulatory legal act of the authorized body;

7) the non–resident bank of the Republic of Kazakhstan has no violations of equity capital adequacy ratios and liquidity ratios established by the legislation of the state of which the non–resident bank of the Republic of Kazakhstan is a resident during the last twelve months preceding the date of application for permission to open a branch in the territory of the Republic of Kazakhstan.

The Law of the Republic of Kazakhstan dated January 16, 2026 No. 258-VIII SAM.

President

Republic of Kazakhstan

Constitution Law Code Standard Decree Order Decision Resolution Lawyer Almaty Lawyer Legal service Legal advice Civil Criminal Administrative cases Disputes Defense Arbitration Law Company Kazakhstan Law Firm Court Cases

The Law of the Republic of Kazakhstan dated August 31, 1995 No. 2444. On banks and banking activities, with the introduction of the Law of the Republic of Kazakhstan dated January 16, 2026 No. 258-VIII, the SAM has lost its legal force.

Article 15. Organizational and legal form and name of the bank of the Law on Banks and Banking Activities in the Republic of Kazakhstan

1. Banks are established in the form of joint-stock companies.

1-1. The Bank uses as its name the one that is written in its charter.

The name of the bank must contain the word "bank" or a word derived from it.

2. All banks, except the National Bank of the Republic of Kazakhstan, are prohibited from using the words "national", "central" in their names in full or abbreviated form in any language.

3. All banks are prohibited from using the word "state" in its name in full or abbreviated form in any language.

3-1. The name of the Islamic bank must contain the phrase "Islamic bank".

4. It is not allowed to use designations that are identical or confusingly similar to the names of previously established banks, including non-resident banks of the Republic of Kazakhstan, with the exception of subsidiary banks.

Subsidiary banks are required to use the name of their parent banks in their names.

The requirement provided for in part two of this paragraph does not apply to subsidiary banks that have been restructured in accordance with this Law, as well as to subsidiary banks that have carried out the operation provided for in Article 61-4 of this Law.

The Law of the Republic of Kazakhstan dated August 31, 1995 No. 2444.

President

Republic of Kazakhstan