For the modern Kazakhstani, leisure has long become digital: we plan weekends on our smartphones, listen to music on the go, and watch TV series in the evening via streaming platforms. Banking ecosystems are actively integrating ticketing services (Ticketon, Kino.kz) and offering favorable subscription terms, trying to become the starting point for recreation. However, behind the convenience of buying a ticket in a "single window" lies a gap: banks successfully cope with the role of a cashier, but still rarely become the place of content consumption itself.
What is this research about?
In this study, we conducted in-depth interviews with Kazakhstanis to explore their experience interacting with banking ecosystems.
In this article, we analyze entertainment and leisure services:
- How do different segments choose between a banking app and specialized ticketing websites?
- What tools do they use for leisure planning and background content consumption?
- What prevents ecosystems from creating a truly seamless leisure experience?
Below is a detailed breakdown of five archetypes shaping the digital entertainment landscape in Kazakhstan.
😐 Normies
For them, a banking app is primarily infrastructure for covering basic life tasks (utilities, government services, transfers). Entertainment within the bank is perceived by them as a secondary zone, which they turn to rarely and without much enthusiasm.
Entertainment and leisure (Rating: 5/10)
Ecosystems cover only the basic payment layer: paying for tickets or storing receipts. Normies satisfy their need for content in separate, familiar apps.
Quote: "I listen to music via Yandex. I have subscriptions to Yandex Station — it's convenient that they automatically deduct the payment from my Kaspi card."
Behavior: They buy movie tickets through the bank if it's handy, but do not see the point in delving into the internal "Leisure" sections. They consume music and TV series through external services (Spotify, Kinopoisk, HDrezka), using the bank only as a tool for auto-debiting payments.
Blockers and barriers
- Conflict of familiar interfaces: The main unique blocker is the habit of searching for a movie or concert in a specialized app (Kino.kz). Searching within the bank menu seems like an "extra loop" to them when there is a direct icon on their home screen.
- Lack of a "leisure" atmosphere: The bank's interface is too "serious" and utilitarian for them. It lacks recommendation feeds, trailers, or interest-based collections that would encourage them to spend time there looking for leisure ideas.
- Loyalty to external platforms: A strong habit of using separate apps due to accumulated personal bonuses, promo codes, and a more convenient purchase flow.
🤑 Pragmatists
Rational users who turn leisure into an expense optimization scenario. They are the most active users of internal ticketing storefronts, as they look for direct financial benefits in them: cashbacks, promo codes, and promotions.
Entertainment and leisure (Rating: 8/10)
Ecosystems genuinely solve their key task — "to make it cheaper and with bonuses." The integration of Ticketon or Kino.kz within Freedom or Halyk is an ideal way for them to save money.
Quote: "I buy tickets on Ticketon right inside Freedom — there are good cashbacks on tickets there."
Behavior: They actively compare ticket prices between different banking apps and aggregator websites. They link music and streaming to cards with the maximum cashback in the "Entertainment" category, turning leisure into part of their bonus strategy.
Blockers and barriers
- Opaque bonus accrual: The main blocker is if the ticket cashback is "pending" or its conditions are too confusing. It is important for a pragmatist to see the benefit at the moment of payment, otherwise, they will go buy directly.
- Limited ticket inventory: If not all cinemas are available inside the bank or there are no tickets for specific events (exhibitions, local stand-ups), the pragmatist perceives the ecosystem as "incomplete" and leaves for external platforms.
- Difference in bonuses: Situations where bonus points inside the bank turn out to be lower in value than direct discounts or special offers on aggregator websites.
🥸 Olds
A segment with low digital engagement that values simplicity and time-tested methods. Additional entertainment sections in banks confuse rather than attract them.
Entertainment and leisure (Rating: 3/10)
For them, any complexity or new menu inside the bank is an obstacle. They prefer to use one app for one task and do not understand why they should look for tickets in the same place they pay taxes.
Quote: "We usually buy tickets on Kino.kz. If it were inside the banking app, it would be more convenient, but I haven't seen such a thing."
Behavior: They consume content via TV or computer. If they need to buy a ticket online, they choose the simplest, already familiar website. Any entertainment integrations within banking superapps remain invisible to them.
Blockers and barriers
- Information overload: The key unique blocker is the abundance of buttons, banners, and subsections in the "Leisure" category. This causes a fear of "clicking the wrong thing" and accidentally subscribing to a paid service.
- Difficulties with seat selection: The interface for selecting seats in a cinema or theater inside a mobile bank is often less convenient and smaller than in a specialized app, which is critical for olds.
- Information vacuum: Complete unawareness of the availability of built-in services. They simply do not know that inside the banking app, they can solve tasks unrelated to payments.
🧐 Financially Literate
Controllers who view leisure as one of the items in their budget. For them, the banking ecosystem is primarily an analytics tool, not content consumption.
Entertainment and leisure (Rating: 5/10)
They appreciate the ability to see the total amount spent on entertainment at the end of the month, but the services themselves (music, movies inside the bank) do not interest them.
Quote: "In Kaspi, I look at the entertainment spending report at the end of the month. I do financial planning for myself, sometimes I look into the reports."
Behavior: They use separate top platforms (Apple Music, Kinopoisk), valuing them for the quality of recommendations and assortment. The bank for them is an "accountant" that simply records the fact of a ticket purchase or a subscription charge.
Blockers and barriers
- Incorrect categorization of expenses: The main blocker is when a purchase in a gaming store or a music subscription falls into the "Other" or "Transfers" category. This deprives them of the sense of using the bank to track leisure.
- Lack of a subscription hub: They lack a tool to manage all recurring entertainment payments (Netflix, Yandex, Spotify) in a single window with the ability to see their total annual cost.
- Lack of market advantage: The habit of comparing prices with specialized services (Aviata, HT.kz), where the bank often loses in the package content or the final cost of the service.
😡 The Burned
People with negative experiences that have formed a "better not to risk it" mindset. For them, any linking of a card to subscriptions or buying tickets inside the bank is a potential source of money problems.
Entertainment and leisure (Rating: 4/10)
They are extremely cautious about new features. Even if buying tickets in the bank is convenient, they might choose a separate website so that in case of a failure, they do not interact with the bank, with which they already have a complicated relationship.
Quote: "Because my main account was blocked, I am forced to download apps of different banks. And when each one also has its own services, it only distracts."
Behavior: They try not to set up auto-renewal for subscriptions inside the bank, preferring to pay manually every time. They often use different banks for different needs, and perceive leisure services inside them as unnecessary noise that interferes with balance control.
Blockers and barriers
- Fear of "hidden" charges: A unique blocker is the fear that when booking a ticket, the bank will automatically subscribe them to some paid service or insurance, which will then be difficult to disable.
- Emotional barrier: If the bank reminds them of debts or loans, they do not want to go into it for entertainment. Psychologically, the bank for them is a place of problems, not recreation.
- Total distrust: A principled refusal to use any ecosystem services that go beyond forced payments, due to negative past experiences interacting with the organization.
Final summary
Banking ecosystems in Kazakhstan have successfully mastered the role of a ticket aggregator, but are still far from becoming a full-fledged leisure destination. The main growth potential lies in the area of subscription management and offer personalization. The winning ecosystem will be the one that stops being just a ticket storefront and offers the user a tool to control all digital leisure — from transparent management of all external subscriptions to "smart" recommendations that save time on choosing a movie or concert.
