CryptoCity (special zone for paying for purchases with CRT)

History

2025: Launch Announcement

President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev announced the creation of a special pilot zone CryptoCity, in which cryptocurrencies can be used to buy goods, services and other purposes. The project will be part of the country's digital transformation and strengthening Kazakhstan's position as a Eurasian IT hub. The head of state announced this at the end of May 2025 at the plenary session of the Astana International Forum.

According to him, Kazakhstan continues to strengthen capacity in key sectors, including digital technologies, and has already made significant progress in digital transformation. According to the president, this reflects the republic's desire to become a Eurasian IT hub.

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Фото: Freepik

Minister of Digital Development, Innovation and Aerospace Industry Zhaslan Madiev confirmed the information about the CryptoCity project and said that the government, together with regulators, plans to choose the most suitable location for the pilot zone. The minister noted that the idea is for cryptocurrency to act as a means of payment for settlements in restaurants, cafes, buying real estate and making investments.

Zhaslan Madiev indicated that the most suitable place for placing CryptoCity could be the new city of Alatau - a project of the President of Kazakhstan. The minister expressed the opinion that this will be a good new breakthrough in the blockchain industry.

The government expects that the creation of a zone for settlements in cryptocurrency will attract developers, programmers and other IT specialists to Kazakhstan. According to the authorities, this will give an additional impetus to the economic growth of the state.

Cryptocurrency transactions Kazakhstan in can legally take place only at crypto exchanges operating within the framework of the Astana International Financial Center AIFC. Several crypto services are registered in, including the local division Binance and the exchange. Bybit^[1]

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