Cryptocurrency
Crackdown on Illegal Crypto Exchanges in Kazakhstan
Thursday. January 9 at 1:00 AM
1 min. readKazakhstan cracked down on 36 illegal cryptocurrency exchanges in 2024 as part of anti-money laundering efforts, a significant decrease from the previous year. The Financial Monitoring Agency of Kazakhstan announced the closure of these exchanges for operating without proper authorization, highlighting their role in facilitating money laundering through unverified fiat-to-crypto and crypto-to-fiat transactions. These exchanges had a total turnover of approximately $112.8 million, with assets worth $4.8 million seized by authorities. Despite this, licensed global exchanges like Binance and Bybit continue to operate legally in the country. Kazakhstan has shut down over 3,500 unlicensed exchanges in collaboration with government entities and plans to further combat crypto-related crimes by partnering with international organizations. Additionally, the country is developing its central bank digital currency, the digital tenge, in collaboration with Visa, Mastercard, and local banks for global usability.