Abstract
Digital banking expands access to credit and creates opportunities to adapt lending offers to individual financial circumstances. However, the availability of a personalised offer does not necessarily imply that its repayment conditions meet the borrower’s needs. This study examines consumer credit behaviour and perceptions of personalised lending among financial service users in Kazakhstan. The empirical material comprises an online survey of 144 respondents, distributed through social media and messaging applications, with data collection beginning on March 15, 2026. The analysis uses descriptive statistics, a five-point Likert scale, Cronbach’s alpha, and Pearson’s chi-square test. The reported internal consistency coefficient is 0.8745, and the reported chi-square statistic is 32.59 for the relationship between employment status and borrowing from multiple banks. Respondents describe credit both as a means of meeting financial needs and as a source of financial burden or stress. The results suggest considering income stability, existing debt obligations, borrowing purposes, and the clarity of lending terms when designing personalised services. The cross-sectional survey provides exploratory evidence and does not establish causal effects or the effectiveness of a specific banking algorithm. The practical contribution is a set of directions for improving the transparency and suitability of personalized credit offers. These directions include explaining repayment obligations, assessing the customer’s aggregate debt burden, and allowing users to compare alternative lending conditions before accepting an offer. The conclusions concern the surveyed user group and require further testing in a broader sample. The proposed directions can inform communication between banks and borrowers and the organization of responsible digital lending.