The first trial payment in the amount of $ 10 thousand was carried out during the day between the Kazakh Zaman Bank and the Afghan Gazanfar

The first trial payment in the amount of $ 10 thousand was carried out during the day between the Kazakh Zaman Bank and the Afghan Gazanfar, Deputy Prime Minister Serik Zhumangarin said on his page on the social network X (formerly Twitter). "The next stage is the testing of large amounts in different currencies, including the euro and the Chinese yuan. It is becoming possible to increase trade turnover to $3 billion in the near future," the official said. Earlier, Zhumangarin said at a briefing in the government that one of the largest banks in Afghanistan, Gazanfar Bank, had opened a correspondent account in Kazakhstan's Zaman Bank. He noted that this will allow for direct payments between the countries. Previously, banks in Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and the Persian Gulf countries were used for such operations, which had to pay a commission. As explained to Forbes Kazakhstan in the press service of the Deputy Prime Minister, it was problematic to launch transfers between Kazakhstan and Afghanistan due to various financial barriers. For businessmen, it was unclear how to pay each other, which is why the trade turnover of the two countries was declining. Now, Kazakhstani entrepreneurs can make settlements with Afghanistan, as well as with other foreign partners. Zaman Bank was the first to agree to cooperate with Afghanistan, the rest, as explained to the editorial staff in the press service, "are not being decided yet." Zaman Bank is an Islamic bank in Kazakhstan operating in accordance with the principles of Sharia. Founded in 1991, it ranks 21st among all banks in Kazakhstan in terms of assets, which amount to 49.8 billion tenge (over $100 million) as of October 1.