Halyk Bank becomes technology partner of the Ministry of Agriculture — farmers to get AI and digital services

Halyk Bank and the Ministry of Agriculture of the Republic of Kazakhstan have signed a strategic cooperation agreement in the field of digital transformation of the agro-industrial complex. The bank will join the E-APK ecosystem as a technology partner: together, the parties will implement data analytics, artificial intelligence, and new digital services designed to simplify interaction between farmers and the state and reduce the administrative burden on the industry.

The gist in brief

• Halyk Bank and the Ministry of Agriculture of the Republic of Kazakhstan have signed a strategic cooperation agreement to develop the digital ecosystem of the agro-industrial complex — the E-APK platform.
• The partnership involves the joint development and integration of AIC information systems, the implementation of data processing technologies and artificial intelligence, and the launch of pilot digital projects.
• The key practical goal is to simplify farmers' access to state support measures: reducing service delivery times, lowering the administrative burden, and increasing transparency in interactions with government agencies.
• The parties also agreed on an exchange of expertise between the government and the financial sector and on the joint implementation of best digital practices.

Why a bank, not an IT company

The choice of Halyk Bank as the Ministry of Agriculture's technology partner is no coincidence. The country's largest bank already possesses a developed digital infrastructure, data on the financial behavior of hundreds of thousands of agricultural clients, and experience in implementing large-scale government digital projects. The banking sector in Kazakhstan is traditionally one of the most technologically advanced — and its expertise in data processing, identification, and digital services is directly applicable to the tasks of the agro-industrial complex.

“The banking sector has traditionally been a reliable partner for the state in implementing digital transformation initiatives. We are confident that the cooperation will accelerate the introduction of modern digital solutions in agriculture, make government services more convenient for farmers, and increase the efficiency of the entire industry,” said Dauren Sartaev, First Deputy Chairman of the Management Board of Halyk Bank.

What will change for the farmer

The most practically significant area of the partnership is digital government services for agricultural producers. Today, obtaining subsidies, concessional loans, and other support measures often requires numerous visits to government agencies, collecting paper documents, and long waits for decisions.

The digitalization of these processes through E-APK in conjunction with Halyk's banking infrastructure potentially means a transition to a "one-stop shop" model — where a subsidy application, data verification, and fund disbursement occur within a single digital platform without unnecessary intermediaries.

Vice Minister of Agriculture Talasbek Kanafin stated the expected result directly: “Cooperation with Halyk will allow us to accelerate the implementation of new digital solutions, harness the potential of data analytics and artificial intelligence, and create services that will reduce administrative procedures and increase the effectiveness of state support for agriculture.”

Context: Digitalization of the AIC as a state priority

The agreement fits into the broader agenda of digital transformation of Kazakhstan's agro-industrial complex. The E-APK platform is designed to consolidate the industry's disparate information systems — from accounting for sown areas to monitoring subsidies. Previously, the Ministry of Agriculture identified BI analytics and a unified digital ecosystem as key priorities for the year.

The partnership with Halyk adds another layer to this system: the financial data and infrastructure of the country's largest bank, capable of accelerating both the development of services and their scaling to a level of real coverage across the entire industry.

Author's conclusion

The signing of the agreement is a signal that the digitalization of the agro-industrial complex in Kazakhstan is moving beyond departmental IT projects and is beginning to attract private sector infrastructure. Halyk Bank, with its data, technologies, and client base, is a significant resource for this task. Now the main thing is that the partnership is not limited to a nice agreement, but turns into concrete services that a farmer can use without unnecessary effort.