Bitcoin & Cryptocurrency Regulation in Kazakhstan

Yes. Buying, holding and selling Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies is legal for residents of Kazakhstan, and mining is permitted under a licensing regime. However, crypto does not have the status of money or legal tender, and using cryptocurrency to pay for goods and services is generally prohibited across the country. You cannot require anyone to accept it as payment.

Kazakh law divides digital assets into categories. So-called unsecured (or unbacked) digital assets, such as Bitcoin, are treated as property that can be owned and traded, but their circulation is restricted to licensed venues. Separately, the 2026 reforms introduced a new class of secured instruments known as digital financial assets (DFAs), which include stablecoins, tokenised real-world assets and financial instruments issued in digital form. DFAs are handled under banking and financial-services rules.

The practical takeaway: it is legal to own crypto and to trade it through authorised channels, but you should not assume you can spend it freely in shops or use it interchangeably with the national currency, the tenge. Using only licensed, compliant platforms is the safest way to stay on the right side of the rules.

Oversight is shared among several public bodies, and responsibilities shifted significantly with the 2025 and 2026 reforms:

• National Bank of Kazakhstan (NBK): Now the primary regulator for digital assets nationwide. It maintains registers of platform and exchange operators, sets licensing requirements, capital and infrastructure standards, and supervises anti-money-laundering compliance. Its official digital-assets page is the best starting point for current rules.
• Agency for Regulation and Development of the Financial Market (ARDFM): Sets requirements for the issuance and circulation of certain digital financial assets backed by an underlying asset, and supervises financial organisations, including banks that serve crypto exchanges.
• Astana Financial Services Authority (AFSA): The independent regulator inside the Astana International Financial Centre (AIFC). It authorises and supervises digital-asset trading facilities and custody providers under the AIFC's own English-law-based rulebook.
• Financial Monitoring Agency: Kazakhstan's financial intelligence unit, which leads anti-money-laundering and counter-terrorist-financing analysis and receives suspicious-transaction reports.
• Ministry of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Development: Responsible for licensing digital miners.

Because the division of duties is still being fine-tuned through by-laws, check the current allocation with the National Bank of Kazakhstan before relying on any specific point.

Kazakhstan has historically operated a dual system: a national regime, and a separate AIFC regime with its own rules. Recent reforms are pulling more activity into the national framework. Key legislative milestones include:

• 2020: Mining of cryptocurrencies recognised in law as a legitimate activity.
• 2023: The Law on Digital Assets in the Republic of Kazakhstan, No. 193-VII, dated 6 February 2023, took effect on 1 April 2023. It classified digital assets, defined mining as a licensed activity, and generally restricted the circulation of unsecured assets such as Bitcoin to exchanges licensed within the AIFC.
• 2025: Further amendments, including changes adopted in late 2025, repealed the earlier mandatory-sale rule for miners and advanced plans to open regulated crypto activity beyond the AIFC. The National Bank launched a regulatory sandbox on 30 June 2025 for controlled testing of digital-asset projects.
• 2026: Amendments adopted in January 2026 to financial-market, communications and bankruptcy legislation introduced digital financial assets (DFAs) into the banking framework and confirmed the National Bank as the primary overseer of digital-asset issuance and circulation.

Note that Kazakhstan is not an EU member, so the EU's Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) regulation does not apply here; the framework is entirely domestic. Several elements of the newer rules are still being implemented through regulations and by-laws, so timing and detail can shift. The official consolidated text of the 2023 law is published on the government's Adilet legal information system.

The legality of trading depends heavily on the venue. For several years, the clearest lawful route was an exchange licensed within the AIFC and supervised by AFSA. Under the 2025 and 2026 reforms, the National Bank is building a national licensing regime so that approved exchanges can operate more broadly, and it maintains registers of platform and exchange operators.

What licensed operators face:

• Authorisation before operating: Platforms that want to serve Kazakhstan must obtain regulatory approval before listing assets or onboarding customers. Several large international exchanges have pursued authorisation linked to the AIFC.
• Approved-asset lists: Only crypto assets approved by the National Bank may be traded on exchanges based in the country, so the range of coins on a domestic-licensed venue can be narrower than on global platforms.
• Capital and conduct requirements: Within the AIFC, an operator of a digital-asset trading facility must meet a minimum capital requirement set at the higher of around USD 200,000 or enough working capital to run the business for twelve months, alongside custody, market-conduct and investor-protection obligations.
• Ongoing supervision: Licensed firms must maintain compliance, risk-management, cybersecurity and client-asset-protection policies.

You can review the AIFC trading-facility requirements on the Astana Financial Services Authority (AFSA) website. Using offshore platforms that are not authorised for Kazakhstan can leave you outside consumer protections and may create compliance and tax complications.

Crypto-related income is taxable, and the treatment was clarified in the recent reforms. The points below reflect the general position as of 2026, but rates, thresholds and methods can change, so confirm your own situation with the tax authorities or a qualified adviser.

• Individuals selling crypto: Income from the sale of a digital asset issued by a foreign issuer is generally subject to individual income tax at a rate of 10%. Income from the sale of a digital asset issued by a Kazakh issuer has been reported as exempt. The distinction matters, so check which category applies to you.
• Mining as a taxable event: Receiving digital assets through mining is treated as generating income for tax purposes.
• Digital mining tax: Entities engaged in mining pay a tax based on electricity consumed, reported at KZT 2 per kilowatt-hour, reduced to KZT 1 per kilowatt-hour where renewable energy is used.
• VAT: Turnover from the sale of digital assets has been reported as exempt from VAT, and assets distributed within a mining pool to participants are reported as outside taxable turnover.

Keep detailed records of purchases, sales, transfers and mining output. For a general primer on how crypto is taxed, see our guide to crypto taxes, and confirm the current Kazakh figures with a professional.

Anti-money-laundering and counter-terrorist-financing (AML/CFT) obligations sit at the centre of Kazakhstan's regime. The Financial Monitoring Agency acts as the country's financial intelligence unit and receives suspicious-transaction reports, while the National Bank, ARDFM and AFSA each supervise compliance within their areas.

If you use a licensed platform, expect requirements comparable to those at a bank:

• Identity verification (KYC): You will need to verify your identity and, in many cases, the source of your funds before trading.
• Customer due diligence: Licensed firms apply a risk-based approach with customer due diligence, beneficial-owner verification and ongoing transaction monitoring.
• Sanctions screening: Clients are screened against relevant sanctions and watchlists.
• Reporting: Operators must report suspicious transactions to the Financial Monitoring Agency and maintain internal AML/CFT, KYC, data-protection and client-asset-security policies.

These rules exist to keep transfers transparent and lawful, and they apply on both the on-ramp and off-ramp sides of any trade.

Residents can buy crypto, but choosing a venue authorised to serve Kazakhstan matters. A typical lawful path looks like this:

• 1. Choose a compliant platform. Look for an exchange licensed within the AIFC or under the National Bank's national regime, or a reputable global exchange that openly supports Kazakhstan.
• 2. Complete identity verification. Provide identification and, where requested, proof of source of funds, in line with KYC and AML rules.
• 3. Fund your account. Deposit tenge by bank transfer or card, subject to your bank's policies and the platform's accepted methods.
• 4. Place your order. Buy a permitted asset, watching fees and the spread between buy and sell prices.
• 5. Secure your holdings. For larger amounts, consider a wallet you control and protect your recovery phrase. Keep records for tax purposes.

Remember that everyday payments in crypto are generally not allowed across the country. A limited pilot project (a planned digitalised city, referred to as CryptoCity in the Alatau area) has been announced where crypto payments may be tested, but for most people crypto remains an asset to hold and trade rather than a means of payment. Start small while you learn a platform, and never share private keys or recovery phrases with anyone.

Mining is one of the areas where Kazakhstan has been most active. Historically low electricity costs and abundant generating capacity made the country a major global mining destination, which strained the power grid and prompted tighter controls. Today, mining is a licensed activity.

• Licensing and registration: Commercial miners must obtain a licence from the Ministry of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Development, mining pools require accreditation, and hardware and operations are registered.
• Energy charges: Miners pay a tax on electricity consumed, reported at KZT 2 per kilowatt-hour and reduced to KZT 1 per kilowatt-hour for renewable energy, designed to manage grid demand and encourage cleaner power.
• Taxation: Mining income is taxable, and the act of receiving mined assets is itself a taxable event. Confirm current rates with the tax authorities.
• Sale of mined coins: Earlier rules required miners to sell a large share of output through AIFC-linked exchanges. Reforms in 2025 repealed this mandatory-sale requirement, giving miners more freedom over how and where they sell. Verify the latest position before relying on this.

Anyone planning a mining operation should budget carefully for energy charges and licensing obligations, and obtain current legal and tax guidance before committing capital.

Kazakhstan's direction of travel has been toward broader, more formalised crypto adoption rather than prohibition. Notable recent moves include:

• Digital financial assets in banking law: The January 2026 amendments brought DFAs, including stablecoins and tokenised assets, into the financial framework under National Bank oversight.
• Repeal of the mandatory-sale rule: Miners are no longer required to sell a fixed share of output through licensed exchanges.
• Regulatory sandbox: The National Bank launched a sandbox on 30 June 2025 to test digital-asset projects before full rollout.
• National crypto reserve: The authorities have discussed a state digital-asset fund, managed by a National Bank investment vehicle, to hold a strategic reserve of digital assets, partly funded by assets seized in criminal cases.
• CryptoCity pilot: A plan was announced for a digitalised city in the Alatau area where residents could use crypto payments, despite the general nationwide ban on crypto payments.

Several of these initiatives are still being implemented. Treat announcements as direction-of-travel rather than settled law, and confirm specifics with the regulators.

Crypto remains a high-risk area, and Kazakhstan's framework is still maturing. Weigh these risks before committing money:

• Volatility: Crypto prices can rise and fall sharply over short periods. Only consider money you can afford to lose.
• Regulatory change: Rules on approved assets, exchange licensing and taxation can change with relatively short notice while the new framework beds in.
• Unlicensed operators and scams: Fraudulent schemes and platforms that are not authorised for Kazakhstan are a real hazard. Favour providers that are transparent about their licensing status, ideally listed in the National Bank's registers or licensed by AFSA.
• Custody and security: You are responsible for safeguarding your holdings. Lost keys, scams and exchange failures are real risks; use reputable custody and strong security practices.
• Outside the protected perimeter: Using offshore or unlicensed venues can leave you without local consumer protections and create tax and compliance complications.

Consumer protection is strongest when you stay within the licensed perimeter and keep clear records of every transaction.

Because the rules are evolving, always confirm the current position with primary sources rather than secondary summaries. The most authoritative starting points are:

• National Bank of Kazakhstan, Regulation of the digital assets market, for the national framework, registers and licensing.
• Astana Financial Services Authority (AFSA), for licensing and supervision of digital-asset firms inside the AIFC.
• Adilet legal information system: Law on Digital Assets No. 193-VII (2023), for the consolidated text of the core law.

For background reading, see our explainers on crypto regulation and crypto taxes, and browse country guides on our regulation hub. This page is general information as of 2026 and is not legal, tax or financial advice; verify anything that affects you with the National Bank of Kazakhstan and the other named regulators, or consult a qualified local adviser.

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