1st agreement between Kazakhstan and U.S. inked ahead of C5+1 Leaders’ Summit
The National Bank of the Republic of Kazakhstan and the American multinational company Visa have signed a Memorandum of Cooperation, becoming the first agreement concluded within the framework of the upcoming high-level C5+1 Leaders’ Summit and the “10th Anniversary of C5+1” Business Conference, which is set to take place in Washington, D.C., Kazinform News Agency reports.
The memorandum was signed by Aqylzhan Baimagambetov, Deputy Chairman of the National Bank of Kazakhstan, and Robert Thomson, Senior Vice President and Global Head of Government Engagement at Visa.
According to the National Bank representative, the agreement with Visa aims to develop Kazakhstan’s digital financial infrastructure and expand the use of modern digital payments in the domestic market.
“The memorandum is aimed at expanding cooperation in the field of advanced payment technologies and testing new digital solutions in the payments market. The key areas include: establishing a competence center based on the National Payment Corporation with Visa’s support to pilot new solutions; promoting and deepening best practices in digitalization, developing biometric identification systems in the financial market, enhancing cybersecurity and fraud prevention efforts in the financial sector,” said Aqylzhan Baimagambetov.
Robert Thomson welcomed the signing of the memorandum with Kazakh side.
“It is a great honor for us to sign this memorandum with the National Bank of Kazakhstan to accelerate digital innovation across the country through digital assets, cybersecurity, and data on travel and tourism. These efforts will truly help make Kazakhstan one of the leading digital economies in Central Asia,” said Thomson.
As to his experience working in our country, Thomson said it was a great honor for him to be in Kazakhstan earlier this year. ‘Kazakhstan is truly a leader for us in the field of digital payments and in what we do when experimenting with new technologies.’
“Indeed, it’s about ensuring that every person in the country has access to digital technologies — whether it’s small businesses, individuals, or the government. And Kazakhstan is really ahead in this regard. That’s why we’re implementing many innovations there as best practices to demonstrate how the world is evolving in terms of digital payments,” added Robert Thomson.
Earlier, it was reported that the C5+1 Leaders’ Summit, to be held in Washington on November 6, 2025, will bring together the presidents of the U.S. and five Central Asian countries to discuss cooperation in critical minerals, energy, and infrastructure.