Kazakhstanis steadily shifting from cash to cards

Most Kazakhstanis (86.4%) believe cashless payments have the future, according to a recent survey carried out by ISAS Agency on behalf of Visa, Profinance.kz .The survey showed that the number of those using bank cards occasionally outweighs the number of those opting for cash. 50.8% of Kazakhstanis use bank cards once in a while; for 16.4% a bank card is an “inseparable companion” when making purchases; and only 32.8% still prefer cash to cards.According to the National Bank of Kazakhstan, by June 1, 2011 Kazakhstan’s banks had issued a total of 8.9 million cards (10.5% up against June 1, 2010). Debit cards accounted for 87.9%.