Kazakhstanis sharply increase dollar, ruble purchases in August

September 25, 2026 at 12:16 PM2 min

This digest was compiled by AI from multiple sources — links to the originals are below.

Kazakhstanis sharply increased net purchases of US dollars and Russian rubles at exchange offices in August 2026, according to National Bank data. Net dollar sales to the public reached 141.4 billion tenge, the highest since January, while net ruble sales jumped nearly 49-fold from July to 6.18 billion tenge. Euro purchases fell 81.3% over the same period.

Key Facts

Net dollar sales by exchange offices to the public reached 141.4 billion tenge in August 2026, the highest since January's 150.3 billion tenge.
Net ruble sales surged to 6.18 billion tenge in August from 126.5 million tenge in July, a nearly 49-fold increase.
Almaty accounted for 69.2 billion tenge of August's net dollar purchases, almost half the national total.
Net euro purchases fell to 2.14 billion tenge in August from 11.46 billion tenge in July, a decline of about 81.3%.
East Kazakhstan region was the only area where exchange offices bought more dollars from the public than they sold, with a negative net of about 407 million tenge.

Dollar Demand Surge

In August 2026, net sales of US dollars by exchange offices to the public reached 141.4 billion tenge, according to National Bank data. This was the highest monthly figure since January, when net dollar purchases totaled 150.3 billion tenge. Compared with July, when net sales were 123 billion tenge, the August figure rose by 18.4 billion tenge, or about 14.9%. Monthly net dollar purchases fluctuated during 2026, falling from 150.3 billion tenge in January to a low of 65.3 billion tenge in May, then recovering to 126.5 billion tenge in June and 123 billion tenge in July.

Regional Distribution

Almaty led all regions with net dollar purchases of 69.2 billion tenge in August, nearly half the national total. Shymkent ranked second with 26 billion tenge, followed by Mangystau region at 8.4 billion tenge and Atyrau region at 7.1 billion tenge. Astana recorded net dollar purchases of 6.7 billion tenge in August, down from 19.3 billion tenge in January. East Kazakhstan region was the only area where exchange offices bought more dollars from the public than they sold, with a negative net of about 407 million tenge.

Ruble and Euro Trends

Net ruble sales by exchange offices to the public reached 6.18 billion tenge in August, up from 126.5 million tenge in July. The August figure represented a nearly 49-fold increase in net ruble demand over one month. Earlier in 2026, net ruble flows were negative from April through June, with the public selling more rubles than they bought, including 39.8 billion tenge in April. Karaganda region recorded the highest net ruble demand in August at 1.87 billion tenge, followed by East Kazakhstan at 1.74 billion tenge and Akmola at 805.4 million tenge. Net euro purchases fell to 2.14 billion tenge in August from 11.46 billion tenge in July, a decline of about 81.3%.