Kazakhstan is preparing to launch “CryptoCity,” a pilot zone where cryptocurrencies can be used to pay for goods, services, and more.
The announcement was made by President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev during the Astana International Forum 2025, according to a May 29 statement on the official website of the president.
“We are planning to create a pioneering pilot zone called CryptoCity where cryptocurrencies might be used for purchasing goods, services, and even beyond,” he said. While Tokayev did not provide many details, the initiative is the latest in Kazakhstan’s broader efforts to explore crypto use cases and integrate digital assets into its economy.
In his remarks, Tokayev described CryptoCity as a regulated sandbox for experimenting with crypto adoption.
By November 2023, the country had launched the digital tenge in pilot mode with real users, including banks and their clients.
That same year, the Center for Interbank Settlements was transformed into the National Payment Corporation, tasked with developing the CBDC platform.
Kazakhstan has been building digital financial infrastructure since launching a central bank digital currency (CBDC) pilot in February 2023. Programmability was a key feature from the beginning, planned to reduce corruption.
According to Madiyev, the city is already under development. The next step is building a legal framework to allow free crypto circulation and establish crypto as a legitimate payment method.
“The concept is that cryptocurrency would be used as a means of payment—to pay in restaurants and cafes, buy real estate, and make investments,” Madiyev explained. “I believe this could be a major breakthrough for the blockchain industry.”
Lawmakers are now calling for the establishment of a state-supported “crypto bank” to tighten regulation, protect users, and keep capital within national borders. MP Azat Peruashev proposed the idea in Parliament, warning that the absence of a clear legal infrastructure has driven most crypto activity into the shadows.
Adding to the unveiling of the “CryptoCity” pilot zone by President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, momentum is building around broader crypto reform in Kazakhstan.