Notwithstanding that plastic cards were widely used in the World beginning from 60s of the XX>th century in Kazakhstan the market of plastic cards began to develop only in 1993 from the National interbank system of electronic cards foundation with the usage of microprocessing debit and credit cards on the basis of electronic wallets conception.
The realization of electronic wallet conception is not provided in its «pure» form, i.e. before the payments settlement but as follows money discounted on the clients’ microprocessing cards actually stays in bank on the clients’ current accounts consequently allowing accumulating it in the banking system. The population receives an opportunity to make payments for goods and services in any place of the Republic of Kazakhstan and regardless of what bank serves the card holder.
The following laws and regulations make a legal framework of plastic cards functioning on the territory of Kazakhstan:
The National Bank of the Republic of Kazakhstan board of directors’ decision dated from August 24, 2000 № 331 «About the regulations adoption of payment cards issue and application in the Republic of Kazakhstan)).
The National Bank of the Republic of Kazakhstan board of directors’ decision dated from July 2, 2002 № 713 «About the programme establishment of the National interbank system of payment cards on the basis of microprocessing cards development).
The National Bank of the Republic of Kazakhstan board of directors’ decision dated from December 23, 2002 № 510 «About the regulations adoption of the National interbank system of payment cards on the basis of microprocessing cards functioning).
For the first time the cash machines were implemented by several commercial banks in 1997. In the end of 2002 in Kazakhstan 702 cash machines functioned whereby their quantity grew on 30 % against 2001. To the beginning of 2010 6956 cash machines functioned already.
As on July 1, 2009 there are 19 banks and Kazpost JSC which perform plastic cards issue indeed. And the second-tier banks issue plastic cards of local systems: Altyn Card (Halyk Bank of Kazakhstan, JSC and ATF Bank, JSC); SmartAlemCard (BTA Bank, JSC); the local card of Citibank Kazakhstan (Citibank Kazakhstan, JSC) and Temir Card (BTA Bank, JSC, Temirbank, JSC).