Kazakhstan to introduce mandatory housing insurance against natural disasters

September 27, 2026 at 08:25 PM2 min

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

Kazakhstan's financial regulator has drafted a mandatory housing insurance scheme covering earthquakes, floods, and wildfires. The project was submitted for public discussion on September 15, 2026, with phased introduction planned. Annual premiums are estimated between 2,000 and 20,000 tenge depending on regional risk.

Key Facts

The 2024 floods damaged over 19,000 homes and dachas, with the state allocating 251 billion tenge for recovery.
The mandatory housing insurance project was submitted for public discussion on September 15, 2026.
The first phase will cover Zhambyl region and the cities of Almaty and Shymkent.
Annual premiums are projected to range from 2,000 to 20,000 tenge depending on regional risk.
Insurance contracts will be concluded for 12 months and must be signed before a state of emergency is declared.

Flood Damage and Recovery

During the 2024 emergency, floods inundated more than 19,000 residential houses and dachas. The state allocated 251 billion tenge for restoration, including 54 billion tenge for purchasing ready homes on the market and 64 billion tenge for new housing construction. Another 54 billion tenge went to repairing water-damaged houses. After these events, discussions intensified about requiring citizens to insure their housing.

Mandatory Insurance Project

The Agency for Regulation and Development of the Financial Market developed the mandatory housing insurance project and submitted it for public discussion on September 15, 2026. Serikbosyn Tolebekov, deputy director of the insurance market department at the agency, said the introduction will be phased. He noted that 16 regions of Kazakhstan are prone to risks such as earthquakes, water disasters, and natural forest fires. The initial phase will cover Zhambyl region and the cities of Almaty and Shymkent.

Coverage and Conditions

The project is called 'Mandatory Housing Insurance' and requires all property owners to pay an annual premium. Insurance covers only natural disasters such as earthquakes, floods, and forest fires; fires caused by electrical faults are excluded. Contracts are concluded for 12 months and must be signed before a state of emergency is declared. Albina Bolat, a lawyer at Eurasia insurance company, said three main conditions apply: the dwelling must be legally registered to the owner, and the owner must permanently reside in and use the dwelling.