Forbes Kazakhstan reported on February 5, citing its own sources, that Vyacheslav Kim, co-owner of Kaspi.kz, is purchasing a controlling stake in Jusan Bank from Galimzhan Yesenov. The Agency for Regulation and Development of the Financial Market provided comments on this matter:
“Regarding the requested information, we inform that the transaction between individuals aimed at establishing, modifying, and terminating civil rights and obligations is considered a commercial secret. The circle of persons entitled to free access to information constituting a commercial secret is determined independently by individuals and legal entities. In this regard, we recommend addressing the request to these individuals and legal entities.”
At the same time, the ARDFM referred to legislative requirements, according to which no person, either independently (or jointly with another person), has the right to acquire the status of a major participant or banking holding without obtaining prior written consent from the regulator.
“Issuance of consent is a state service. The period for providing this state service is 50 working days. Information about the results of state services is published on the agency's internet resource,” the ARDFM's response stated.
Jusan Bank is currently refraining from making any comments on this topic.
According to official information, Galimzhan Yesenov (ranked 15th among the wealthiest businessmen in 2024 with a net worth of $590 million) owned directly 19.67% of the bank's shares and 77.86% through JSC "First Heartland Securities," of which he is the sole owner, as of January 1, 2025.
According to regulatory reporting, Jusan Bank's total assets at the beginning of 2025 amounted to 3.3 trillion tenge, including a loan portfolio of 1.3 trillion tenge. Total liabilities reached 2.5 trillion tenge, including a corporate deposit portfolio of 868.9 billion tenge and an individual deposit portfolio of 824.2 billion tenge. The own capital stood at 849.5 billion tenge. In 2024, the bank earned approximately 156.7 billion tenge.
In 2024, Vyacheslav Kim was named the richest businessman in Kazakhstan by Forbes Kazakhstan, with a net worth estimated at $5.8 billion. In the annual global billionaire ranking by Forbes, the Kaspi.kz shareholder ranked 511th. As of January 1, 2025, his stake in the Kazakh fintech holding was 20.39%. The businessman is also the majority shareholder of JSC "Alseco" and the ultimate beneficial owner of the retail chain Magnum Cash&Carry.