The National Bank of Kazakhstan (NBK) has begun implementing a project for payment 'crypto cards' and several pilot programs in the field of digital assets, according to the regulator's website.
'Crypto cards' will allow consumers to make cashless transactions linked to wallets with licensed service providers of digital assets of the International Financial Center 'Astana' (IFCA), the regulator writes. The mechanism provides for the sale of the client's digital assets on the IFCA cryptocurrency market at the moment of making a payment transaction, with the immediate crediting of their value to the card, as clarified in the regulator's release. The NBK promises to ensure high transaction speeds through 'crypto-fiat integration of banks and IFCA providers'.
In 2025, market participants, in coordination with the regulator, plan to implement a number of pilot projects. Among them are the issuance of stablecoins backed by the national currency, including the digital tenge, for settlement operations with digital assets. Tokenization of assets and real estate is also planned for the organization of accounting and storage systems.