ForteBank has been honored with the prestigious SME Bank of the Year – Kazakhstan award at the Asian Banking & Finance Retail Banking Awards 2025.

The award jury recognized the bank’s significant contribution to stimulating SME economic development through strong financial performance, client-centric solutions, sustainable financing practices, and the active expansion of partnership programs.

ForteBank continues to demonstrate confident growth in its SME loan portfolio. By the end of 2024, the portfolio had increased by 28.3%, and in the first half of 2025 it grew by more than 25%. The bank is deliberately increasing financing of the real sector: in 2024, lending volumes in transport rose by 225%, in construction by 90%, and in agriculture by 62%.

ForteBank has made SME support a key priority for 2025, declaring it the Year of SMEs. The bank expanded its SME support tools through a strategic partnership with the “Damu” Entrepreneurship Development Fund. In the first half of the year, the bank signed a Portfolio Guarantee Agreement with a total limit of KZT 25 billion. In addition,

Forte made a voluntary contribution of KZT 1 billion to the guarantee fund, which increased the portfolio guarantee limit. The bank also signed an agreement under the

Өрлеу program, offering SMEs preferential loans at a rate of just 12.6% per annum.

ForteBank’s solid capital base and the trust of international investors enable the bank to attract funding for large-scale financing of the economy and investment in new directions.

Media Contacts:

PR Department, JSC “ForteBank”

press@fortebank.com

+7 (7172) 599 999