Kazakhstan’s President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev witnessed a historic demonstration — the first official cryptocurrency payment in the country. The 120,000 tenge transaction went through the domestic CryptoPay system during the head of state’s visit to the Alem.ai International Artificial Intelligence Center on April 24.
How it works
The payment was conducted by Binance Kazakhstan in collaboration with Alatau City Bank, demonstrating full integration between a crypto exchange and a traditional bank. The user paid with cryptocurrency via a QR code on a bank terminal, and the seller received the funds in tenge in their bank account.
The presentation was supported by the Ministry of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Development, highlighting the state nature of the initiative.
Contradictory context
The demonstration looks unexpected against the backdrop of current restrictions. In December 2025, the head of the financial regulator, Madina Abylkassymova, clearly stated: cryptocurrencies cannot be used to pay for goods and services in Kazakhstan.
Currently, cryptocurrency operations are only allowed on licensed AIFC exchanges, but experts estimate that only 5% of Kazakhstani crypto investors use these platforms — the rest operate in the “gray zone.”
