Binance selects Kazakhstan as regional settlements hub for Central Asia and Eastern Europe
Binance has partnered with the National Bank of Kazakhstan to establish a regional settlement hub processing cross-border payments and digital asset transactions for Central Asia, the CIS, and Eastern Europe. To facilitate this, Binance will seek a Category 1 payment institution license. This move aligns with Kazakhstan's strategy to become a Eurasian crypto hub, following its regulatory updates and efforts to resolve energy issues from crypto mining.
Binance Kazakhstan settlement hub
▪Binance signed a memorandum of understanding with the National Bank of Kazakhstan to establish a regional settlement center in Kazakhstan.
▪To operate the regional hub, Binance Group plans to establish an organization in Kazakhstan, build infrastructure, and obtain a Category 1 payment institution license from the National Bank of Kazakhstan.
▪Binance founder Changpeng Zhao and National Bank of Kazakhstan Chairman Timur Suleimenov attended the signing ceremony for the settlement hub agreement.
▪The planned Binance settlement center in Kazakhstan will process cross-border payments, money transfers, and digital asset transactions for users in Central Asia, the Commonwealth of Independent States, and Eastern Europe.
Kazakhstan crypto regulatory framework
▪Kazakhstan resolved energy deficits caused by an influx of cryptocurrency miners by implementing dedicated rules and pricing for electricity consumed by the sector.
▪The National Bank of Kazakhstan issued its first crypto exchange license under the updated law "On Digital Assets," allowing services outside the Astana International Financial Center legal regime.
▪The updated Kazakhstani law "On Digital Assets," originally adopted three years prior, permits the provision of crypto exchange services outside the narrow legal regime of the Astana International Financial Center.
Regional payment services expansion
▪Binance founder Changpeng Zhao visited Kyrgyzstan in September 2026 to discuss crypto regulation, anti-fraud measures, and the development of a fiat-pegged KGST coin.
▪Binance and the Kazakh Ministry of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Development agreed to cooperate on digital assets, computing infrastructure, payment solutions, and the potential issuance of a new stablecoin.
▪Binance signed memorandums of understanding with the Kazakh Ministry of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Development and the Astana International Financial Center to explore regional payments and fintech opportunities.
Kazakhstan fintech hub strategy
▪Kazakhstan's government is implementing a strategy to turn the country into a Eurasian crypto hub, which includes regulating digital asset investments and trading on authorized domestic platforms.
▪Binance founder Changpeng Zhao visited Kazakhstan in early September 2025 to discuss projects including a "CryptoCity" in Alatau and a Data Center Valley.
▪The memorandum between Binance and the Astana International Financial Center focuses on expanding the Investment Tax Residency Program to cover digital assets.
Binance EU licensing failures
▪Binance failed to secure cryptocurrency licenses in Greece and France under the European Union's Markets in Crypto Assets (MiCA) framework in the summer of 2026.
▪Binance announced its exit from the Russian market in late September 2023, selling its business there following sanctions related to the invasion of Ukraine.
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