Kazakhstan just made a big move to bring order to its crypto market. Lawmakers updated the country’s banking law so it now officially covers digital assets.
The goal is to give clear rules and real oversight for things like crypto trading, stablecoins, and digital finance in general. Parliament passed these changes in late December 2025. Once the president signs off and they publish the law, it’ll kick in.
The new rules are part of the Law on Banks and Banking Activities in the Republic of Kazakhstan. This law had been around since 1995, but it was starting to show its age. Now, it’s getting a much-needed update for the digital world.
The standout change is that the law now recognises “digital financial assets” (DFAs) as their own legal category. That covers a lot, stablecoins tied to regular money, tokenized assets backed by real stuff, and other electronic financial tools, as long as they’re issued by licensed digital platforms.
Why the Change Matters
Kazakhstan used to have a scattered way of handling cryptocurrencies and digital assets. They rolled out a Law on Digital Assets in 2023, but it mostly focused on the Astana International Financial Centre (AIFC), a special financial zone where licensed crypto exchanges could work under certain rules.
Outside the AIFC, though, the rest of the financial system didn’t really connect digital assets with regular banking laws. That left some obvious gaps in how things were regulated and supervised.
Now, things are changing. The new banking law pulls digital assets right into the mainstream. Banks and licensed financial institutions can hold, issue, and handle digital financial assets, as long as they stick to the licensing and regulatory rules.
It basically ties the crypto world much closer to Kazakhstan’s regular financial system. So, people might soon be able to get crypto-related products from their regular bank, not just through niche platforms.
Legal experts say this is Kazakhstan’s way of showing it’s serious about digital finance. They’re not treating it as some experiment on the edge; it’s becoming part of the core financial sector.
By weaving digital assets into the system, the country is getting ready for what’s next, like the digital tenge (Kazakhstan’s central bank digital currency). The goal is a single, unified set of rules where public and private digital assets can work side by side.
More News: Belarus Approves Cryptobanks Blending Crypto and Traditional Banking
Commercial and Regulatory Impact
Kazakhstan’s new rules for crypto exchanges and service providers are pretty clear. Get a license from national authorities, or you’re out.
Once they’re licensed, these companies have to play by rules that look a lot like what banks and other financial businesses deal with, like risk management, consumer protection, and strong anti-money laundering controls.
Regulators will even decide which cryptocurrencies people can actually trade, all to protect investors and keep the market honest.
This shift tackles a big problem. Up until now, most crypto trading in Kazakhstan happened under the radar; about 90% of it, actually, ran outside official channels. That made it tough to regulate and even tougher to enforce the law.
Now, by bringing digital assets under regular banking laws, Kazakhstan is trying to get in step with international standards. The Financial Monitoring Agency, for example, is pushing to match its rules with the Financial Action Task Force’s recommendations.
That means crypto companies have to collect and share customer info under the “travel rule”. On top of that, Kazakhstan plans to launch a national crypto wallet registry for wallets tied to criminal activity, making oversight and anti-money laundering efforts a lot stronger.
The post Kazakhstan Adds Digital Assets to Banking Law Crypto Rules appeared first on Ventureburn.
