Freedom Bank Wins Two Awards for Advancing Fraud Prevention

The use of artificial intelligence, machine learning, and graph analytics has helped Freedom Bank build a comprehensive customer protection system. Its development has now been recognized with two awards from the Anti-Fraud Center of the National Bank of Kazakhstan.

National Antifraud Awards

At the annual National Antifraud Awards ceremony in Kazakhstan, Freedom Bank was named the winner in the “Anti-Fraud Partner of the Year” and “Contribution to the Development of the Anti-Fraud Center” categories.

Kaspi Bank and Home Credit Bank were also finalists in the first category. Freedom Bank shared the special award for its contribution to the development of the Anti-Fraud Center with three other participants in the pilot “Session Anti-Fraud” project. The organizers presented awards in four categories in total, with Freedom Bank winning two of them.

This marks the bank’s third award from the Anti-Fraud Center in two years. In 2025, Freedom Bank received the “Return of the Year” award after achieving the best result among participating institutions in returning funds to customers following suspicious transactions.

How the Anti-Fraud Center Works

The Anti-Fraud Center began operations in July 2024 under the National Payment Corporation of the National Bank of Kazakhstan. The system collects, stores, and facilitates the exchange of information on transactions and attempted payments showing signs of fraud.

Banks, payment and microfinance organizations, telecom operators, law enforcement agencies, and other participants exchange data on suspicious transactions within a unified information system. This makes it possible to identify and block transactions before funds reach fraudsters.

By September 2026, the Anti-Fraud Center had brought together more than 270 organizations. Since its launch, participants in the system have blocked suspicious transactions worth KZT 127 billion. While information sharing between banks previously could take weeks, data can now be exchanged almost instantly.

“Effective efforts to combat financial fraud require a systemic approach: shared infrastructure, rapid data exchange, and coordinated action by all participants. Over the past two years, the National Anti-Fraud Center has become a platform for this kind of cooperation, bringing together more than 270 organizations,” said Zhanar Samayeva, Chairwoman of the Management Board of the National Payment Corporation.

The Bank Uses AI to Protect Customers

The awards underscore Freedom Bank’s investments in digital security technologies. The bank’s anti-fraud system combines behavioral analytics, machine-learning models, artificial intelligence, graph analytics, and rapid response mechanisms.

“These awards are particularly important to us because they demonstrate that our customer protection system works not just in isolated cases, but systematically and across multiple areas,” said Aidos Zhumagulov, a member of the Board of Directors of Freedom Bank.

According to Zhumagulov, the bank places particular emphasis on the early detection of unusual customer behavior. Graph analytics helps identify connections between transactions and uncover entire fraud networks.

Banking Segment Revenue Grew 54%

In the first quarter of fiscal year 2027, which ended June 30, 2026, Freedom Holding Corp.’s total revenue reached $732.9 million, compared with $524 million a year earlier. Income before tax totaled $40.8 million, net income exceeded $31.7 million, and earnings per common share amounted to $0.52.

As of June 30, the holding company’s total assets reached $14 billion, while shareholders’ equity stood at $1.5 billion. Cash and cash equivalents, restricted cash, and investment securities totaled $7 billion.

The banking segment grew faster than the holding company as a whole. Its revenue increased 54% to $225.2 million. The increase was driven by gains from foreign exchange and trading securities operations, unrealized gains from higher fair values of securities, and growth in interest income.

The positive performance was partially offset by lower fee and commission income due to higher cashback volumes and a decline in gains from derivative transactions. As of June 30, 2026, the bank’s customer base had reached 5.447 million, up from 5.026 million as of March 31, 2026.

In addition, in March 2026, Moody’s assigned Freedom Bank a Ba3 long-term deposit rating with a stable outlook for the first time. The agency linked the rating to the bank’s capitalization, rapidly expanding customer base, and strategic role within Freedom Holding Corp.

The Moody’s rating and the Anti-Fraud Center awards reflect two key areas of Freedom Bank’s development: strengthening its financial performance and expanding its technological infrastructure to protect customers.