Kazakhstan Shuts Down 36 Illegal Crypto Exchanges, Freezes Assets, and Strengthens Regulations

Kazakhstan has taken strong actions to combat illegal cryptocurrency exchanges. In 2023, regulators blocked more than 3,500 unlicensed exchanges. The result of such cooperation was the National Security Committee’s effort, in cooperation with the Ministry of Culture and Information. In addition, Coinbase was also blocked off from the government, which said the platform had violated digital asset laws in the country.

In 2024, Kazakhstan’s regulators did something more, when they shut down 36 illegal crypto exchanges. The total turnover of these exchanges was 60 billion Kazakhstesti tenge, or over $113 million. Authorities also froze and confiscated assets of about 4.8 million USDT (a stablecoin) from those platforms. It was part of wider efforts to cut out the plague of the cryptocurrency market in Kazakhstan.

The crackdown didn’t end there. Authorities busted two cryptocurrency pyramid schemes. They returned 545,000 USDT to the victims of these schemes in response. They also froze an additional 120,000 USDT on the platforms. The actions show that Kazakhstan has taken measures to prevent its citizens from doing fraudulent things in the crypto space.

Kazakhstan Tightens Regulations on Crypto While Supporting Innovation

To reinforce its efforts further, Kazakhstan’s financial regulator, AFM RK, has been working with international partners. The objective is to give crypto transactions a better monitoring to avoid criminal activity. Along with this, the gov has also proposed changes to the country’s laws, including new penalties for digital asset providers engaged in money laundering.

That is not all that government is doing, of course, when it comes to enforcement. They are also trying to control the cryptocurrency market carefully. In 2023, Bybit received the full crypto exchange license from Astana Financial Services Authority (AFSA). It also got regulatory approval from AFSA to legally operate the country. That these moves show that Kazakhstan is welcoming, regulated crypto exchanges while also making sure its laws are followed.

Moreover, Kazakhstan is working on the creation of a digital currency. Launching a pilot program for the digital tenge, the central bank digital currency (CBDC), the National Bank of Kazakhstan has done so. In addition, the central bank has also made processes easier for value added tax (VAT) reimbursement with digital fiat.

Finally, the cryptocurrency space is innovation and strict regulation in Kazakhstan. It is working hard to turn itself into a country that is working to make digital assets secure and properly regulated and embrace new technologies.