This week IFAD launched  the Platform for Remittances, Investment and Migrants’ Entrepreneurship (PRIME) Central Asia Initiative in Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan.

The financing will allow Shinhan Finance to continue providing much-needed longer-term loans and enhance the resilience of smaller enterprises, which are critical for economic growth and job creation.

The FINNIX mobile app, which is regulated by the Bank of Thailand, was developed by MONIX and offers microfinance loans through a completely digital process from loan application to approval and disbursement.

The loan is intended to boost its services to micro-, small, and medium-sized enterprises – especially in rural areas – to “improve financial inclusion and contribute to Kazakhstan’s recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.”

This loan is ADB's first intervention in Kazakhstan's financial sector in several years. It will support KMF's efforts to improve financial inclusion and contribute to Kazakhstan's recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.

The investment aims to support a resilient recovery by promoting business growth, creating jobs, and fostering financial inclusion.

Ongoing shifts toward e-commerce, digital payments (including contactless), and instant payments have all been significantly boosted during the pandemic with real-time payments surging by 104 percent.

The Bank of Thailand has been asked to review the ceiling of interest rates and supervise credit cards, personal loans and car loans, as the Thai government has vowed to tackle high household debt, incurred by credit card and personal loans.

Micro and small enterprises (MSEs) in Kazakhstan stand to benefit from a new investment which aims to help businesses recover from the economic shock of the COVID-19 pandemic, resume operations, and adapt to the post-crisis environment.

Notwithstanding border restrictions, the region’s digital payments ecosystem is growing as countries collaborate to connect their domestic payment systems.