Kazakhstan and Binance sign MoU to create regional settlement hub

September 7, 2026 at 05:50 PM2 min

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The National Bank of Kazakhstan signed a memorandum of understanding with Binance Investments Co. on September 7 to create a regional settlement hub serving Central Asia, the CIS, and Eastern Europe. The project calls for a Binance group entity in Kazakhstan licensed as a Category I payment organization. The hub would handle international payments and settlements related to digital asset transactions.

Key Facts

The National Bank of Kazakhstan and Binance Investments Co. signed a memorandum of understanding on September 7.
The settlement hub will serve clients from Central Asia, the CIS, and Eastern Europe.
The new Binance entity will seek a National Bank license as a Category I payment organization.
Binance Kazakhstan already holds a license from the Astana Financial Services Authority to operate a digital asset trading facility.
National Bank Deputy Governor Binur Zhalenov said the development of digital financial technologies is an important area in transforming Kazakhstan's financial sector.

Regulatory Framework

The project calls for the creation of a Binance group entity in Kazakhstan and the localization of some of the group's regional operations and infrastructure. The new entity would seek a National Bank license as a Category I payment organization. The payment operation would sit alongside Binance Kazakhstan's existing AFSA-regulated digital asset platform under a different regulatory framework. Kazakhstan has spent several years building a regulated digital asset market, and the new project would use that framework to serve clients beyond the country's borders.

Operational Scope

The hub will handle international payments and money transfers, including settlements related to digital asset transactions for clients of the global Binance group. Binance said the parties have prepared a roadmap covering the development of payment infrastructure, licensing, and the launch of new products. Kazakhstan already has several building blocks for developing such services: a regulated digital asset market within the AIFC, the digital tenge, and the National Bank's payment infrastructure. Binance would gain a jurisdiction with an established digital asset regulatory framework, while Kazakhstan aims to attract technological expertise and develop the export potential of its financial services.