The heads of seven major Kazakh banks issued a statement on 2 December pledging support for President Nursultan Nazarbaev's policies and promising to stay out of politics

The heads of seven major Kazakh banks issued a statement on 2 December pledging support for President Nursultan Nazarbaev's policies and promising to stay out of politics, Kazinform reported. Noting that the state must play the key role in maintaining the stability that is necessary for the development of the banking sector, the bankers stated, "We...affirm our support for the president's program for preserving social harmony and stability and building civil society in Kazakhstan." The bankers also promised to remain apolitical. "We consider it inadmissible for banks to participate in the activities and financing of political parties," they said. "We will carefully follow this line in our practical activities in order to ensure social and political stability." The seven banks were ATF Bank, Bank TuranAlem, Bank CenterCredit, Eurasian Bank, Kazkommertsbank, the Halyk Bank, and Nurbank.