On September 18, the Ministry of Digital Development, Innovations, and Aerospace Industry agreed to establish a five-year Kazakhstan Digital Country Partnership with the American payment-processing corporation Mastercard, which aims to support the country's breakthrough projects, QazMonitor reports citing the ministry’s press service.
Bagdat Mussin, the Minister of Digital Development, Innovations and Aerospace Industry, met in New York with Nicola Villa, Mastercard’s Executive Vice President for Strategic Growth.
The discussions encompassed Mastercard's plans to expand its presence in Kazakhstan, which includes creating a regional hub, collaborating with the government to develop the e-commerce and SME market, fostering the tourism industry, supporting women's entrepreneurship, implementing smart city solutions, and more.
The American company will assist the Kazakh government in facilitating breakthrough projects through several initiatives, including:
Promoting Kazakh e-government solutions via Mastercard's global network.
Expanding access to financial services through digitalization of payments in various sectors, including government payments, agriculture, education, and others.
Collaborating in the promotion and development of IT exports, e-commerce, digitalization of SMEs, and fintech ecosystems.
Supporting Kazakhstan's smart city solutions, with a particular emphasis on tourism and urban transport development.
Promoting the establishment of a secure and sustainable digital ecosystem through cybersecurity and anti-fraud monitoring.
Focusing on cooperation in digital and financial literacy among the general population.
Mastercard currently operates in 210 countries and territories worldwide, utilizing its technology platform and digital assets to implement over 1,600 different government projects, targeting areas of growth and benefiting governments across various sectors.