FBRK.KZ

The Agency for Regulation and Development of the Financial Market has issued a permit to Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank PJSC (ADCB) to establish a subsidiary bank in Kazakhstan. The new bank will offer a wide range of services and develop Islamic finance, expanding market opportunities and strengthening competition in the country's banking sector.

The court overturned the decision to close the case regarding violence against minors in the Beyneu district of the Mangystau region. Previously, the case had been closed on the basis of reconciliation between the parties, but the prosecutor's office pointed out that such a ground is inadmissible in cases involving children. Following a protest by the supervisory body, the decision was quashed and the case has been sent for a new hearing to the regional court.

In Stepnogorsk, the prosecutor's office identified violations in the allocation and use of land plots. As a result of inspections and court measures, more than 1,500 hectares of land with a cadastral value of 52 million tenge were returned to the state, and an official from the akimat was held disciplinary accountable.

An incident involving access to a large volume of confidential data occurred at Meta after an employee followed a recommendation from an artificial intelligence system. The data became accessible to other engineers within the company for approximately two hours. Meta stated that no evidence of misuse of user data has been found and has launched an internal investigation.

In the West Kazakhstan Region, an object resembling an unmanned aerial vehicle has been discovered. The find was recorded outside a populated area in the Akzhaik district. The police department of the West Kazakhstan Region confirmed the discovery and reported that an investigation is being carried out. The circumstances of the incident and the origin of the object are being established.

A court in Almaty has arrested Aset Mataev, director of the MIA "KazTAG", for two months on charges of hooliganism following a night-time conflict. Police claim that none of those involved sustained serious injuries, while the defence presents a different version of events and reports that another criminal case has been dropped.

The High Court of England and Wales has upheld the global freezing of assets belonging to Kazakh businessman Timur Kuanyshev and related parties, following a claim by the Russian bank VTB. The dispute concerns a loan of 7.19 billion rubles to the company Pechoraneftegaz. The court refused to modify the terms of asset disclosure, emphasising the importance of full transparency, while increasing the amount of security required from the claimant. The proceedings continue across multiple jurisdictions.

The Bureau of National Statistics of Kazakhstan has been granted additional powers to collect and analyse data, including access to anonymised information from telecoms operators. The relevant amendments were made by Order No. 12 of 13 March 2026.

In the North Kazakhstan Region, the akim of the Timiryazev rural district, Maksat Nurikenov, has been brought to disciplinary responsibility after purchasing 100,000 seedlings of unknown origin for 4 million tenge. A prosecutor's inspection established the absence of quality documents and the non-compliance of the seedlings with requirements, as a result of which they were deemed unsuitable for planting.