Kazakhstan President signs decree to expand crypto regulation and adoption

Kazakhstan President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has today signed a decree that will ease stablecoin cross-border payments and offer income-tax relief to retail traders. The decree will also let miners burn unneeded gas for power, aimed at drawing crypto business into the country. 

The order was drafted via an alliance between the Ministry of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Development (MAIDD), the National Bank of Kazakhstan and the Astana International Financial Centre. The decree is seen as the legal precursor for a regulated digital asset market, which Kazakhstan hopes will pull outside capital and give crypto firms much clearer rules for operation.

Stablecoins for imports and exports

A core interest for the newly signed decree in the country revolves around building mechanisms to use digital assets and stablecoins in cross-border settlements. Officials say this could ease payment for imports and exports, giving Kazakhstani businesses a way to both buy products and receive payments from abroad alongside conventional banking methods.

The government also wants funds stored abroad to be brought back into the country to help the economy. Traders who currently keep cryptocurrencies on unregulated foreign exchanges and wallets would be able to declare these holdings voluntarily and then move them to approved domestic service providers.

Tax relief offered as a sweetener

To make the migration from offshore exchanges and wallets attractive, the state is dangling better tax reliefs. Kazakhstan is exploring an exemption from personal income tax on funds earned via digital asset transactions, as long as they go through the country’s regulated services.

“Income from digital asset transactions conducted through Kazakhstan’s regulated infrastructure is planned to be exempt from individual income tax,” the ministry said in comments reported by Kursiv.

Vice Minister of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Development, Gizzat Baitursynov, said the goal is a clear and predictable environment for all, ranging from miners to financial institutions, while ensuring safeguards and regulations for Kazakhstan’s citizens.

Natural gas to be used by mining rigs

The decree also permits associated petroleum gas and natural gas from fields to be used for autonomous power generation when not needed for state purposes, and the resulting electricity made available for mining operations.

This is related to a “70/30” energy model introduced by the Kazakhstan government, which lets data centers and miners tap up to 70% of new generating capacity that comes from infrastructure upgrades.

In addition to orders for crypto mining and payments, the decree also touches on the capital markets. It calls for the development of tokenized financial instruments and national trading infrastructure, alongside the potential issuance of tokenized government bonds.

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