Kazakhstan's regulated crypto turnover surges from $320 mln to $10.58 bln

September 21, 2026 at 09:54 AM2 min

This digest was compiled by AI from multiple sources — links to the originals are below.

Kazakhstan's regulated digital asset turnover in the Astana International Financial Centre grew from $320 million in 2023 to $10.58 billion in 2025, with client numbers reaching 270,000 by September 2026. The growth follows a presidential decree signed July 7, 2026, to develop the digital asset industry, including stablecoins for cross-border payments. The market expanded beyond the AIFC on May 1, 2026, when nationwide regulation took effect.

Key Facts

Regulated digital asset turnover in the AIFC rose from $320 million in 2023 to $10.58 billion in 2025, a 33-fold increase.
The number of clients in the regulated segment grew from 53,000 in 2023 to 270,000 by September 2026, a rise of over 400%.
35 digital asset providers operate in the AIFC, including 11 exchanges such as Binance and Bybit, 16 investment service providers, 8 payment organisations, and 3 stablecoin issuers.
Nationwide digital asset regulation took effect on May 1, 2026, covering unsecured digital assets, digital financial assets, tokenised real assets, and digital forms of traditional financial instruments.
Three operators of unsecured digital asset exchange are already working on the domestic market, with turnover of about 2 billion tenge in the first two months.

AIFC Market Growth

The regulated digital asset market in the Astana International Financial Centre expanded from $320 million in 2023 to $10.58 billion in 2025. In the first half of 2026 alone, operations reached $5.5 billion. The client base grew from 53,000 in 2023 to 270,000 by September 2026, an increase of more than 400%. The $10.58 billion figure represents the volume of operations by digital asset providers, not the amount of money invested by Kazakhstanis in cryptocurrency.

Provider Infrastructure

The AIFC hosts 35 digital asset providers, including 11 digital asset exchanges such as Binance and Bybit. Among them are 16 investment service providers, 8 payment organisations, and 3 stablecoin issuers that are also payment organisations. Five more international crypto platforms are undergoing licensing in the AIFC, two of which rank among the world's ten largest crypto exchanges. The growth of the regulated segment shows Kazakhstan competing for operations, liquidity, and capital that previously remained on foreign platforms.

Nationwide Regulation

Systemic nationwide regulation of digital assets came into force on May 1, 2026. The legal framework now covers unsecured digital assets, digital financial assets including fiat-backed stablecoins, tokenised real assets, and digital forms of traditional financial instruments. Three operators of unsecured digital asset exchange are already working on the domestic market, with turnover of about 2 billion tenge in the first two months. Five more companies are undergoing licensing. The regulated digital asset market is gradually ceasing to be an exclusively experimental or special zone.