The Development Bank of Kazakhstan has released its annual report for 2023, which has been verified by PwC. The Bank disclosed information in accordance with the international requirements of GRI, SASB, IFRS S1 and IFRS S2 (previously TCFD recommendations), as well as the requirements of the national regulator – the Agency of the Republic of Kazakhstan for Regulation and Development of the Financial Market and the Rules of the Kazakhstan Stock Exchange KASE.
DBK's contribution to the socio-economic development of the regions of Kazakhstan.
Despite the difficult external economic situation, last year was a period of growth and achievement of new heights for the Development Bank of Kazakhstan. Over the past year, the DBK Group has provided financing for 1,061 billion tenge. In particular, the bank has financed 42 projects totaling 748 billion tenge. 43 projects with a total amount of financing of 1.2 trillion tenge have been approved.
In addition, 3 projects with a total cost of 120 billion tenge were put into operation. Among them, the expansion of the capacity of a poultry farm in the Akmola region, as well as two processing plants in the Karaganda and Aktobe regions. On the basis of these enterprises, 798 new permanent jobs have been created for Kazakhstani specialists. These projects show the contribution of the DBK to the socio-economic development of the regions of Kazakhstan.
Financing of projects jointly with domestic second-tier banks.
Among the important achievements of DBK in the past year, we can consider the introduction of syndicated project financing in cooperation with Kazakh second-tier banks. For example, an agreement of intent was signed with Nurbank JSC and Bank CenterCredit JSC. Financial institutions will jointly provide financing for a project in the beverage industry to expand existing production and export products.
By the end of 2022, dividends in the amount of KZT 17.1 billion were paid to the Sole Shareholder. In addition, in total, during 2023, the DBK attracted 540.3 billion tenge on market terms for subsequent project support.
Implementation of the principles of sustainable development.
The Bank's annual report for 2023, verified by PwC, disclosed information in accordance with the international requirements of GRI, SASB, IFRS S1 and IFRS S2, as well as the requirements of the national regulator – the Agency for Regulation and Development of the Financial Market and the Rules of the Kazakhstan Stock Exchange KASE.
As part of the verification, GRI and SASB indicators were certified, including environmental indicators, including greenhouse gas emissions scope 1, 2 and 3 (funded emissions), social indicators, as well as the indicator "Share of renewable energy projects in the Bank's loan portfolio", which reflects the Bank's intention to ensure transparency of disclosed information and promote the principles of sustainable development.
In 2023, the Development Bank of Kazakhstan JSC, in addition to record financial indicators, demonstrated its commitment and active participation in the field of ESG, having achieved significant success in sustainable development and responsible investment. Thus, DBK was among the first in Kazakhstan to receive an ESG rating of «3» and a total score of 60 from the Sustainable Fitch agency. This assessment reflects the Bank's commitment and initiatives in the field of sustainable development. The Bank has approved Criteria for evaluating applicants for compliance with ESG principles within the framework of investment projects.
For the first time, «green» bonds were issued for financing on the site of the Kazakhstan Stock Exchange (KASE), the first issue of «green» bonds in Central Asia was issued on the AIX exchange with Climate Bonds Initiative (CBI) certification.
This year, DBK continues to work on effective financial support for domestic medium and large businesses in the non-resource sector and a phased transition to a sustainable development trajectory.
