Did you join First Credit Bureau recently?
Yes, I joined the team this year. First Credit Bureau is a mature IT company with a twenty-year history and a strong reputation, and it is now confidently moving toward becoming a data-tech company. That resonates with me: my entire professional path has been connected in one way or another with digital transformation and the creation of technology solutions for the financial sector.
Before joining First Credit Bureau, I worked in the banking sector for more than fifteen years, focusing on credit analysis, risk management, and the digital transformation of lending processes. My experience includes building credit risk management systems, automating business processes, and implementing integrated credit decision-making systems that combine scoring models, loan origination pipelines, and external data sources.
All these projects taught me one thing: data, processes, and technology must work together—quickly, reliably, and securely. That is exactly why I see great development potential at First Credit Bureau. The market needs accurate analytics, high-quality data, and anti-fraud tools—and we are ready to become a growth driver for the entire financial sector.
One of our ambitions is to help the financial sector reach a new level of service quality and digitalization.
I would also like to emphasize separately: personal data is an area where no errors are acceptable. That is why our focus on information security, corporate ethics, and transparent corporate governance is part of our DNA and the foundation of the trust placed in us by banks, microfinance organizations, insurance companies, and citizens.
How did the bureau’s transformation begin, and how did First Credit Bureau become an IT leader?
Since 2013, First Credit Bureau has been systematically building out its key areas: IT, information security, analytics, customer service, and the finance function. That was also when the first scoring models appeared, and by 2016 financial institutions had begun using scoring on a systematic basis.
What sets First Credit Bureau apart from others?
The information itself is virtually identical across all bureaus. The difference lies in how that data is interpreted and used. First Credit Bureau positions itself as a technology company: we create and manage a high-load data ecosystem, guided first and foremost by client needs.
One of First Credit Bureau’s main areas of development is building projects that use artificial intelligence, along with building computing infrastructure that makes it possible to deploy LLM models locally while ensuring absolute security and the sovereignty of financial data. We are currently conducting R&D projects to expand the scoring and data analysis systems we use based on AI. The use of artificial intelligence makes it possible to analyze highly complex implicit relationships among entities, companies, and borrowers. As a result, our clients will be able to receive not just data, but ready-made predictive products for risk assessment and next-generation anti-fraud.
What does it mean to be a national data hub?
It means becoming the key point for collecting, processing, and transmitting legal data nationwide. We operate strictly within the law, on the basis of user consent, under the supervision of the National Bank of Kazakhstan, the Ministry of Digital Development, and the National Security Committee.
We have the Data Hub analytical Telegram channel, visual dashboards for clients, custom analytics, and alternative macroeconomic estimates.
Given the accumulated volume and quality of lending market data, First Credit Bureau is consistently developing artificial intelligence as one of the key elements of its data-tech strategy. We see the bureau’s potential not only as a credit information provider, but also as a center of applied AI expertise for the non-banking financial sector. This role involves developing and implementing solutions in predictive analytics, scoring, anti-fraud, risk assessment, and customer services that enable market participants to make decisions faster and more accurately, improve portfolio quality, and reduce operational risks.
For us, AI is not a separate technology area, but a tool for creating new analytical value for the financial ecosystem. Our goal is to provide the market with the benchmarks and data needed for decision-making
Artificial intelligence is now becoming a key driver of the development of data ecosystems. How does First Credit Bureau apply AI in practice, and what value do these solutions deliver to clients and the market?
We view AI as a practical tool that simultaneously strengthens customer service, improves the efficiency of internal processes, and creates new market products. That is why we are developing not isolated pilots, but an entire range of solutions embedded in the real business environment.
On the client side, we implemented an AI assistant based on large language models, integrated into the mobile application and web portal. It processes requests in natural language, significantly reduces response times for routine questions, and lowers the workload on the contact center. This improves service accessibility and the quality of user interactions.
We also developed Revit, a service for improving credit ratings: using AI, it performs an in-depth analysis of credit history, on the basis of which a personalized action plan is created for each client.
Within our internal ecosystem, we strengthened our work with knowledge bases and communications: we implemented intelligent search across corporate documentation based on large language models and RAG architecture. These solutions help us find the necessary information faster, reduce operational time costs, and improve process manageability. In development processes and data work, AI and multi-agent systems are widely used to improve data quality and speed up product development.
A separate area is property valuation models for movable and immovable property. We developed AI solutions based on neural networks that analyze visual materials and key parameters of an asset, helping deliver more accurate, faster, and more scalable valuations.
Ultimately, for us, AI is not only about technology, but about sustainable value: convenience for clients, efficiency for the organization, and new products for the market. It is precisely this combination that supports our role as a strong national center for data and digital solutions.
Are there any international projects?
Yes, and this is a strategically important area. FICO scoring through the First Credit Bureau is available not only in Kazakhstan, but also in Uzbekistan, Romania, and Moldova. I serve on the board of the Association of Credit Information Providers in Eurasia, which brings together 14 bureaus from 12 countries. In addition, memorandums of cooperation have been signed with European and Asian associations.
What is your mission?
We are an infrastructure company in the financial sector. Our mission is to ensure a reliable, fair, and technology-driven environment for the financial sector and for the development of economic activity in the financial industry. We take on the complexity of data processing so that businesses can focus on what matters most—and receive not raw information, but real analytical value
