Today, creating a financial product that meets market demand requires more than simply issuing a loan. It is important to make the entire customer journey fast, convenient and digital. That is why banks are increasingly combining their financial expertise with the technologies of fintech companies.
Bank RBK and Sapa Digital Finance demonstrate how this approach works in practice, Qazinform News Agency reports. The global financial market is gradually changing its traditional development model: instead of building all the infrastructure themselves, banks are engaging technology partners.
This allows them to launch products faster, automate processes and scale their businesses without unnecessary operating costs. For Kazakhstan, this approach is particularly relevant in auto lending. According to the First Credit Bureau, the market grew by almost 44% over two years, from 2023 to 2025, reaching 2.39 trillion tenge.
Amid growing demand, competitive advantage is determined not only by loan terms but also by how quickly and easily customers can obtain financing. Bank RBK and Sapa Digital Finance (SDF) have been cooperating since 2023. The partners have combined their competencies: the bank provides the financial component and sets lending parameters, while SDF is responsible for technological support, process automation and interaction with customers and partners.
This is an example of how combining expertise helps create products that meet market demand and develop business,” says Natalya Akentyeva, Chairwoman of the Management Board of Bank RBK. Since the partnership began, 65,000 Kazakhstanis have received auto loans.
SDF’s technological platform brings together all participants in the process within a single digital environment, providing access to financing through a partner network across different regions of the country. Loan applications are assessed in real time using artificial intelligence, while the loan application process, including collateral registration, can be completed on the same day.
This is particularly important for those who need a vehicle not only for personal use but also for work: more than 10,000 auto loans have been issued to individual entrepreneurs over the course of the partnership. At the same time, lending speed should not come at the expense of loan portfolio quality.
Amid increased market attention to the quality of auto loans, modern credit scoring models play a particularly important role, allowing lenders to comprehensively assess borrowers’ creditworthiness and determine credit risk levels more accurately. Their application helps make well-informed lending decisions, combining access to financing with a responsible approach to loan portfolio management.
Technology therefore not only speeds up processes but also enhances the quality of lending decisions. Another area of cooperation is subsidizing the purchase of domestically manufactured vehicles, which helps make them more affordable for buyers and supports demand for cars assembled in Kazakhstan.
“For us, the importance of technology lies primarily in how it helps people. Today, customers want not only to obtain an auto loan on favorable terms but also to complete the process quickly, conveniently and without unnecessary complications. Together with Bank RBK, we have combined the bank’s reliability, our AI-based technologies and an extensive network of car dealerships to make the car-buying process simpler and more accessible.