BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 15. The volume of
digital asset transactions conducted through licensed providers in
the Astana International Financial Centre (AIFC) increased 30-fold
over a short period, Managing Director of the Authorization and
FinTech Office of the AIFC Financial Services Regulatory Committee
Yerkegali Yedenbayev said at a government meeting.


This was announced by the government's press service.


Yedenbayev noted that currently, 35 digital asset service
providers operate in the AIFC, including 11 digital asset
exchanges, among them Binance and Bybit, as well as 16 investment
service providers and eight payment organizations, including three
stablecoin issuers.


"If the volume of transactions in the licensed environment
amounted to $320 million in 2023, last year this figure stood at
$10.5 billion. In the first half of this year, transaction volume
reached $5.5 billion. Thus, over a short period of time, the
regulated market grew 30-fold. The customer base has also expanded
significantly: while the number of customers stood at 53,000 in
2023, today it has reached 270,000, representing a 400% increase.
This indicates growing customer confidence in the regulated
environment," Yedenbayev said.


He noted that work to improve the regulatory framework is
continuing as part of the implementation of the decree of the
President of Kazakhstan on measures to promote and develop the
digital asset industry.







Key priorities include recognizing AIFC digital assets within
Kazakhstan's national jurisdiction and expanding the use of
stablecoins. In particular, their use in international trade is
being considered, which could speed up payments and reduce
operating costs. These measures are expected to contribute to
further development of Kazakhstan's digital asset market.


Yedenbayev also reported on the development of real-world asset
tokenization in the AIFC. A special regulatory regime for such
projects has been in place in the AIFC since 2024. In 2026,
Commodity Chain became the first platform in Central Asia to
receive a license to operate with tokenized assets in the
agricultural sector. Its launch is scheduled for the end of
2026.


Another area of development is the issuance of tokenized
securities. More than $300 million has already been raised through
the Bitfinex Securities platform. The AIFC expects such instruments
to help attract additional capital and expand investment
opportunities.


The AIFC is also exploring the use of stablecoins pegged to
foreign currencies for international payments and transfers. This
could speed up settlements and reduce business costs.