President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has signed a decree establishing a regulated digital asset market in Kazakhstan. The Ministry of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Development said on Wednesday that the framework was prepared together with the ministry, the central bank, and the Astana International Financial Centre. One of the most closely watched provisions is a planned personal income tax exemption for digital asset transactions carried out through licensed infrastructure.
Licensed domestic platforms move to the center
The new rules are meant to give crypto businesses, investors, and digital asset service providers a clearer legal base. Kazakhstan also wants to pull activity away from unregulated foreign venues and into licensed local channels. Users holding digital assets abroad are being encouraged to disclose those holdings and move them to approved domestic providers. For retail investors, that tax treatment could improve net returns, but only for activity executed within the authorized system.
Stablecoins included in cross-border payment plans
The decree also targets the country’s payment infrastructure. Authorities plan to create mechanisms that would allow digital assets and stablecoins to be used in cross-border payments, adding a new financial tool for export and import operations inside a regulated structure. The source notes that stablecoins are typically pegged to fiat currencies such as the US dollar, and discussion around their payment use centers on reducing price swings and speeding up settlement.
Unused gas and the 70/30 model could aid mining
Mining policy is another major piece of the package. Under the new approach, associated petroleum gas and natural gas extracted from oil and gas fields can be used for independent electricity generation when they are not required for state purposes. That surplus energy is expected to support digital mining operations. The government has also introduced what it calls the 70/30 energy model, under which up to 70% of newly created electricity capacity from infrastructure upgrades will be made directly available to data centers and crypto miners.
Kazakhstan is using the decree to attract international capital and expertise while expanding tokenized financial products and domestic transaction infrastructure. Data released in 2022 by the Cambridge Centre for Alternative Finance ranked the country third globally by estimated Bitcoin mining hash rate. Minister of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Development Jaslan Madiyev said the aim is to bring global capital and expertise into Kazakhstan while ensuring the highest possible transparency and protection for market participants.