Unauthorised transactions involving foreign bank cards have become more frequent in Kyrgyzstan

The first cases of suspicious transactions involving bank cards issued abroad began to be recorded in Kyrgyzstan in the second quarter of 2024. At that time, banks reported 65 cases amounting to more than 1.7 million KGS. Prior to that, there had been no such incidents.

Since then, similar cases have continued to appear. At the end of 2024, there were only a few — 4 and 9 transactions, respectively. But in early 2025, the number of such suspicious transactions rose sharply. Banks have already reported 147 transactions worth more than 600,000 KGS.

These are unauthorised (i.e. not authorised by the cardholders) withdrawals of money from foreign cards when used at ATMs and terminals of Kyrgyz banks.

‘The banks are investigating the unauthorised transactions in accordance with the rules of the payment systems to minimise financial risks for cardholders,’ the National Bank said.