Kazakhstan has become one of the global leaders in integrating government services into banking platforms. Today, a digital ID in a smartphone is not an innovation, but an everyday standard. Banking ecosystems (primarily Kaspi and Halyk) have turned into a "digital wallet" where paying for kindergarten, checking fines, and obtaining certificates happen in the same interface as a regular money transfer.
However, the level of trust in storing personal documents in a private app varies. As part of this research, we examined how Kazakhstanis use government services within banks and what makes them return to the official eGov Mobile app.
What is this research about?
In this research, we conducted in-depth interviews with Kazakhstanis to study their experience interacting with banking ecosystems.
In this material, we analyze government services and documents:
- Why do banks beat eGov in speed but lose in data completeness?
- How do different segments use digital documents in real-life situations?
- What barriers prevent users from completely abandoning paper originals?
Below is a detailed breakdown of five archetypes that define the landscape of digital interaction with the state.
😐 Normies
For this segment, government services in a bank are a natural extension of everyday infrastructure. They do not separate "banking" and "government"; for them, it is a single environment that should just work.
Government services and documents (Score: 8/10)
The service covers the vast majority of their requests. They are used to showing their ID via QR in the bank or applying for benefits via an app notification.
Quote: "I applied for child benefits through Kaspi — they sent me a notification themselves. Attaching documents is faster and more familiar."
Behavior: They use the bank as the main document repository for everyday situations: presenting an ID in a taxi, at a store, or when enrolling a child in clubs. They value the system's proactivity when the bank itself reminds them of the need to pay or the readiness of a certificate.
Blockers and barriers
- The "80/20" barrier: The main unique blocker is the lack of highly specialized documents. If they need to find military registration, an employment contract, or a license, the bank is powerless, and the normie goes to eGov.
- Data synchronization: Sometimes the document status in the bank updates with a delay compared to the state registry. For a normie accustomed to instantaneity, this creates a feeling that the service is broken.
- Incomplete family profile: If data for all family members (e.g., children's birth certificates) is not pulled into the app, the normie perceives this as a reason to return to physical originals.
🤑 Pragmatists
Rational users who view government services as an "obligation." They use the bank for these purposes only because it saves time, but the lack of material benefit makes their attitude towards the service lukewarm.
Government services and documents (Score: 6/10)
They use the functions quickly but without loyalty. For them, paying a fine or kindergarten through a bank is just a transaction without a commission, nothing more.
Quote: "I look at government services in Kaspi only when I need to pull out my ID. I pay fines there too, but I sometimes check benefits in other places to compare the data."
Behavior: They often compare the speed of services. If eGov Mobile works faster at a specific moment or offers more detailed tax information, the pragmatist will instantly switch without feeling attached to the banking ecosystem.
Blockers and barriers
- Lack of "profit": A unique blocker is zero cashback on government payments (fines, duties, kindergartens). The pragmatist perceives this as an "empty" waste of money that brings no bonuses in the ecosystem.
- Commission risk: If the bank charges even a minimal commission for a budget payment that is free in eGov, the pragmatist will remember this forever as a negative case and leave for the state resource.
- Weak analytics of government spending: They lack the ability to see the total amount of "taxes and fees" for the year in one clear chart to optimize their mandatory payments.
🥸 Olds
This segment values government services in the bank for the "one-button rule." For them, this is the easiest way to legalize themselves in the digital space without having to understand the complex architecture of the eGov portal.
Government services and documents (Score: 7/10)
High satisfaction is due to the fact that the most important functions for them (ID, pension, paying for grandchildren's kindergarten) are brought to the forefront and do not require long searches.
Quote: "I am not technically savvy, I try not to get involved with complex things. But government services and paying for the apartment in Kaspi is convenient; documents are right there from the main menu."
Behavior: They use the digital version of the ID as the main one, often forgetting the physical plastic at home. For them, the bank has become a "window to the state" that speaks to them in a language they understand.
Blockers and barriers
- Fear of document "disappearance": The key blocker is the fear that without the internet or if the app crashes, they will be left "without an identity" in front of a police officer or a PSC employee. They lack confidence in offline access.
- Institutional trust: A persistent belief that the official eGov app is more reliable ("everything will definitely be there") than a built-in service within a commercial bank.
- Biometric barrier: The need to pass Face ID to access the documents section is sometimes perceived as an "extra hurdle," especially if the lighting or phone camera does not allow doing it quickly.
🧐 Financially literate
For them, the integration of government services is the pinnacle of control. They view documents as part of their financial dossier, necessary for mortgages, investments, and long-term planning.
Government services and documents (Score: 9/10)
The highest score. They appreciate that the bank combines their assets (accounts, stocks) with their legal status (certificates, benefits, fines).
Quote: "It's convenient that government services are built into the main app — it's optimized better than eGov. You can immediately pull data from analytics for certificates."
Behavior: They actively use statements and certificates to confirm income. They value the ability to apply for benefits in two clicks, as it saves their expensive working time. They use the banking interface as a single point of control for all government obligations.
Blockers and barriers
- Insufficient history depth: The main blocker is the inability to download archival certificates or documents from past years (for example, old property certificates). They need a database spanning decades.
- Lack of business integration: Financially literate users who have an individual entrepreneurship (IE) or limited liability partnership (LLP) lack the consolidation of personal documents with government services for business within a single "private" profile.
- Deficit of specific data: Banks do not cover professional requests — it is impossible to find licenses, military registration data, or employment contracts in them.
😡 The Burned
A segment with a critically low level of trust. For them, the bank is a potential "invader" of their identity. The fear that the bank will block access to the digital ID due to a debt or an error makes them stay away from these services.
Government services and documents (Score: 2/10)
They use documents in the bank only in extreme situations. Psychologically, they feel calmer in eGov Mobile, as the state is a more neutral arbiter for them than a bank that has already let them down once.
Quote: "I didn't use the services in Kaspi — I had a debt there, and they blocked me. I'm afraid that if the bank closes access, I won't even be able to show my ID."
Behavior: They consciously duplicate all certificates in eGov and try not to apply for benefits through the bank, fearing that this money could be automatically debited to pay off old debts or errors.
Blockers and barriers
- The "digital hostage" risk: A unique blocker is the conviction that the bank can use access to documents as leverage. "If I owe the bank, it can hide my documents" — this fear blocks the use of the service.
- Data transparency: They fear that through government services, the bank will obtain excessive information about their property, military registration, or employment, which it will then use for collection or scoring.
- Crisis of trust in the custodian: A fundamental refusal to trust the bank with storing personal IDs and certificates due to a negative experience interacting with the financial system in the past.
Final summary
The integration of government services into Kazakhstan's banks is a story of total UX domination over bureaucracy. Banks won this race due to the speed of displaying identity cards and other key documents. However, the main challenge for 2026 is completeness and security.
The ecosystem that wins will be the one that can integrate complex services (military registration, employment contracts) and give users (especially "The Burned") legal guarantees that their digital identity will remain accessible even in the presence of financial disputes with the bank.
