A banking service for young people should be as user-friendly as social media — marketer Damir Zholeuov on finances for teenagers

Modern teenagers in Kazakhstan are demonstrating growing financial independence. This conclusion was reached by analysts at Kaspersky Lab following a survey of parents, in which more than 1,000 people participated. The study showed that one in three children in the Republic already makes online purchases without adult assistance, and more than half of teenagers—54%—have their own bank card.

We spoke with Damir Zholeuov, an expert in marketing and PR in the fintech sector, about how "plastic" has become an indispensable financial tool for teenagers and how technology helps children develop a more conscious attitude toward money. Damir currently heads the marketing department at the insurance company Halyk, having previously held this position at Halyk Bank. For over a decade, he has been developing and promoting digital products that make finances simple and understandable even for beginners. Among his notable projects are the Halyk Easy digital children's card and the educational program "Bonuses for Excellent Grades," which combine financial support with education.

A Bet on Youth

The digital revolution in banking began during the pandemic, and now teenagers, accustomed to the convenience of online payments, are using cash less and less. Damir Zholeuov was one of the first to recognize the huge potential in this trend and began developing products for a young audience.

Damir Zholeuov

When the whole world moved online, we saw a unique opportunity to rethink our approach to the youth audience. In Kazakhstan, as in Russia, the US, or Europe, people under 19 make up about 25% of the population. These are millions of potential customers whose needs traditional banks have long ignored.

Together with the Ministry of Education of Kazakhstan, a large-scale educational initiative called "Bonuses for Excellent Grades" was launched. The essence of the program is simple and accessible to every schoolchild: for 10 points in the electronic journal, Halyk Bank credits 100 bonuses to the student's account, which they receive in the electronic diary Kundelik and can spend at the bank's partner network across Kazakhstan.

Over several years, the project achieved impressive results: it covered 73% of schools in the country—more than 5,500 educational institutions. Moreover, as school monitoring showed, student performance increased by 31% in schools where the program operates. The initiative itself received a special prize at the prestigious "Ak Mergen" award.

Furthermore, while competitors were cutting budgets during the pandemic restrictions, Damir Zholeuov and Halyk Bank were making a digital breakthrough. By reallocating funds within the current marketing budget, investments in the digital direction grew by 70%, including unexpected platforms for the banking sector such as TikTok.

The result: a 40% increase in reach without increasing the overall marketing budget, and another step toward a younger audience. The launch of the well-known digital children's card Halyk Easy, familiar to all residents of Kazakhstan, attracted 580,000 users, while the share of digital products in the portfolio reached 93%.

Damir Zholeuov

Modern teenagers are a generation that grew up in a digital environment, for whom banking services should be as convenient as social networks. Our task is not simply to adapt existing products, but to create fundamentally new solutions that organically fit their lifestyle and digital habits.

The results speak for themselves: the youth product line of Halyk Bank, developed by Damir Zholeuov, changed the approach to banking services. The innovative combination of financial solutions with gamification and social functions not only attracted a young audience—it transformed the very principle of interaction with this segment.

The Foundation of Successful Innovations 

Damir Zholeuov has been working in marketing and PR for more than 12 years. During this time, he has mastered the art of building invisible bridges between the cold logic of numbers, technology, and people, turning the most complex financial tasks into simple and understandable solutions.

Damir Zholeuov

I have always had a deep understanding of both local and international markets, which has allowed me to successfully adapt strategies to various target audiences.

Damir Zholeuov began his career in 2013. Before joining Halyk Bank, he worked at commercial giants such as Kaspi Bank (formerly Kazkommertsbank), Alfa-Bank, and Sberbank, where he not only mastered his profession but also absorbed the best industry practices, formed a deep understanding of the market, and developed his own approach to management and strategic development.

But the real breakthrough happened at Halyk Bank—Kazakhstan's largest bank. Here, Damir Zholeuov was able to fully utilize his accumulated experience and implement fresh ideas. In just four years, he rose from senior manager to acting director of the marketing and PR department. Under his leadership, the department turned into a powerful growth driver, uniting five strategic areas: the PR service, digital marketing, a creative agency, regional marketing, and the SMM division.

At the same time, digital transformation remained a key priority for Damir Zholeuov—his team achieved a 62% growth in the bank's mobile audience, was the first in the country to implement Apple Pay, and successfully brought financial services to TikTok.

A significant achievement was the rebranding—the transition from "Narodny Bank Kazakhstan" to Halyk, which allowed attracting a young audience and marked the beginning of extensive and interesting work on creating new products for the young residents of the Republic.

Financial Literacy as a Mission

In 2023, under the leadership of Damir Zholeuov, a project of republican scale was launched—"100 Good Deeds," dedicated to the 100th anniversary of Halyk Bank. One of its priority areas was strengthening the position of youth banking and forming financial literacy among the population. Thus, for the first time in Kazakhstan, a large-scale educational campaign was held for residents of remote villages in eight regions of the country. As part of the cooperation with the Amanat party, lectures by experts, master classes, and individual consultations on a wide range of financial issues were organized—from budget planning to the possibilities of obtaining loans and investments.

Special attention within the project was paid to the development of children's sports. In Astana and Almaty, the "People's League" project was launched, aimed at supporting orphaned children and children from orphanages. Thanks to this program, children had the opportunity to engage in team sports, develop leadership qualities, and simply become involved in active public life.

The "Bonuses for Excellent Grades" program became a continuation of this initiative and a powerful stimulus for supporting the younger generation. The project not only helps schoolchildren master digital financial tools but also forms a conscious attitude toward money from an early age.

Damir Zholeuov

I am deeply committed to improving the level of financial literacy in Kazakhstan, so I wanted to create something more than just a bonus system. Our goal is to teach children how to manage finances wisely, to see the connection between academic success and life opportunities. The quality of the Republic's development depends on them.

For Damir Zholeuov, such projects are not just marketing campaigns. They are an opportunity to influence the country's future, raise a new generation of financially literate citizens, and show that technology can be not only convenient but also socially significant.

Technology for the Future

Damir Zholeuov's new goal is fintech solutions that will help young entrepreneurs reach a new level. For example, graduates of economics faculties who are just starting their journey and do not yet have the resources that large companies have. It is for them that Damir Zholeuov is developing an innovative AI platform for the small and medium business sector—a solution capable of replacing an entire marketing department.

Damir Zholeuov

When small businesses do not have a budget for marketers, technology must become their competitive advantage.

The new system will automatically generate texts for social networks, create visual content, set up auto-posting, and even develop logos along with slogans—all of this is designed to make startups more professional, competitive, and technological from day one.

This step is a logical continuation of the path that began with supporting schoolchildren and forming the foundations of financial literacy in them. Now, when these children grow up, graduate from university, and start their own businesses, they receive real digital tools that allow them to compete on equal terms.

Author: Anastasia Ovsyannikova