Kazakhstan's largest banks, which hold around 90% of the country's total banking sector assets, will take part in full-scale supervisory cyber drills in 2027. The Agency for Regulation and Development of the Financial Market announced the plans, according to infohub.kz.
Timur Abilkasymov, First Deputy Chairman of the ARDFM, outlined the plans during a panel session titled "Digital Distrust: How AI Is Changing the Game for Fraudsters and Defenders." The event was held in Astana as part of KazHackStan 2026, an international cybersecurity conference.
The agency had previously conducted pilot supervisory cyber drills. Those exercises assessed banks' ability to withstand attacks and to quickly restore their information systems after potential incidents.
Abilkasymov said the supervisory assessment of banks amid the widespread use of artificial intelligence covers two key areas. The first concerns corporate governance — the resources banks devote to the issue, how well their specialized teams are staffed, and how internal processes are organized. The second involves conducting full-scale cyber drills.
KazHackStan 2026 was organized by the Ministry of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Development together with the Center for Analysis and Investigation of Cyber Attacks. The conference brought together representatives of government and law enforcement agencies, Kazakh and international CERT teams, banks, financial and technology companies, as well as developers, researchers and experts.
Participants discussed the use of artificial intelligence, the development of digital technologies, new types of cyber threats and fraud, and methods for protecting digital infrastructure and the financial sector.
Earlier, Kursiv reported that President Qasym-Jomart Toqaev clarified the powers of the Security Council and its staff. The duties of the deputy chairman of the Security Council now include information and cybersecurity, the use of artificial intelligence, and personal data protection.