Lazzat Ibragimova, head of Otbasy Bank, announced that the bank will change its approach to calculating the state bonus for depositors in housing construction savings. Only those who are genuinely saving for housing and have not yet been able to purchase it will be eligible for the bonus, reports infohub.kz.
During a briefing following a government meeting, a question was raised about how the approach to paying the state bonus on deposits in Otbasy Bank would change and who would pay it instead of the state.
The head of Otbasy Bank noted that their housing construction savings system is modeled on Germany's. There, the state also pays a bonus on housing savings, but it depends on family income. If family income does not exceed 155,000 euros, the depositor receives a state bonus of 300 euros. For single people without a family, the threshold is 70,000 euros per year, and the bonus is 150 euros.
“Here we are also doing a lot of research on various family incomes among depositors. The first approach has been approved: if a person enters the system consciously and saves for housing at 2% when they have an alternative of deposits at 18% per annum, they will receive the bonus. If they leave the system, the state bonus will be returned to the budget. This is the first huge reserve for savings. The second reserve is if a person has improved their housing conditions, that is, we have already issued them a mortgage, for example, under 'Umai', under 'green mortgage', at 2% or 5% within the framework of credit housing, then the state bonus will not be accrued on the collateral deposit,” said Lazzat Ibragimova.
According to Ibragimova, the state bonus on deposits will remain, but its sources will change. Part of the bonus will be paid from the bank's dividends on its shares owned by the state.
The head of Otbasy Bank also clarified that if any changes in the payment of the state bonus are adopted, they will only affect new depositors.
“If this is adopted, it will only apply to newly opened contracts. Therefore, all depositors who have already opened deposits will be serviced under the current law,” the head of the bank noted.
In early 2026, it was reported that Otbasy Bank could start directing part of its profits to accumulate up to 50% of the amount required for paying the state bonus on housing savings deposits.