National Bank of Kazakhstan could help ease PlayStation Store payments

Deputy Governor of the National Bank of Kazakhstan Binur Zhalenov said the regulator is working to facilitate payments for Kazakhstanis on popular gaming services. According to him, the issue of making purchases on the PlayStation Store with Kazakhstani bank cards could be resolved in the first quarter of 2027, BES.media reported.

Zhalenov commented on difficulties accessing the online stores of Sony and Microsoft, which do not have a separate region for Kazakhstan and do not offer a straightforward way to pay with Kazakhstani bank cards.

«In fact, it is possible to pay with Kazakhstani cards, but you have to go through some complicated process, get another card and so on. This is not really the job of our financial regulator; it is more a matter for the market, but we are working on it,» Zhalenov said.

According to him, the issue could be resolved by the end of March 2027. However, Zhalenov did not specify whether this would involve establishing a separate region for Kazakhstan within the companies’ systems.

«I am aware of the issue with Sony and the other matters you mentioned. I think we will fully resolve this issue by the end of the first quarter,» Zhalenov said.

Players in Kazakhstan have effectively been unable to make official purchases on the PlayStation Store since 2022, as their accounts have been tied to the Russian region, while no Kazakhstan region is available on the service. To buy games, users have had to create accounts registered in other countries and find international payment methods, as Kazakhstani bank cards cannot be used.

This is not the first year Kazakhstan has been in talks with Sony Interactive Entertainment to restore full access to the PlayStation Store.