Kazakhstan Bets on Solana to Drive Regional Web3 Growth

Kazakhstan has made a significant move toward becoming Central Asia’s leading blockchain and digital asset hub with the launch of the region’s first Solana Economic Zone (SEZ KZ) in Astana. Announced during the 2025 International Forum, this ambitious initiative stems from a partnership between the Solana Foundation and Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Digital Development, Innovation, and Aerospace Industry. The project is designed to foster innovation in areas like tokenized finance, blockchain education, and Web3 startup development.

Modelled after successful ecosystems such as Dubai’s DMCC Crypto Centre, SEZ KZ provides a regulatory-friendly environment for experimenting with real-world blockchain use cases. This includes tokenizing assets such as securities, real estate, gold, and even agricultural and gaming products. It’s a strategic sandbox for testing how decentralized technologies can integrate with traditional finance and national infrastructure.

A key component of this initiative is a pilot project on the Astana International Exchange (AIX), conducted with the help of partners including Intebix, Jupiter, and the Solana Foundation. This project aims to bridge the gap between traditional financial systems and blockchain-based instruments. Additionally, a Web3 developer education track focused on the Rust programming language will be rolled out in collaboration with local universities and the Astana Hub, to build technical capacity among Kazakhstan’s youth.

This development aligns with President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev’s broader vision of transforming Kazakhstan into a “CryptoCity,” where regulated digital asset payments and blockchain innovation coexist with national economic planning. It complements ongoing initiatives like the national digital currency (CBDC), crypto mining support, and financial sandbox regulations.

Overall, Kazakhstan’s Solana Economic Zone represents a major step toward establishing a future-oriented, tokenized financial landscape in Central Asia—blending global expertise with local ambition to attract investment, talent, and technological leadership across the blockchain sector.