Kazakhstan has simultaneously advanced two major digital asset initiatives: a novel strategic Bitcoin mining framework that builds a national cryptocurrency reserve, and the expansion of its digital tenge into government procurement. Both measures mark a deepening of the country’s sovereign approach to blockchain technology.
The newly approved 'strategic digital mining' rules allow qualifying miners to receive electricity quotas at ceiling tariffs for up to 10 years. In exchange, participating firms must transfer a portion of newly minted cryptocurrency to the autonomous cluster fund Astana Hub. Those digital assets are then channeled to the National Investment Corporation under the National Bank for trust management, ultimately replenishing the National Strategic Crypto Reserve without the government having to run its own mining operations.
Authorities will process applications through the E‑licensing database, with a dedicated commission evaluating each submission. Approved miners must sign an agreement with Astana Hub within five working days and finalize a separate electricity purchase contract with the relevant energy-producing organization before receiving subsidized allocations. This structure aligns private-sector efficiency with state reserve accumulation.
On the CBDC side, Deputy Prime Minister Serik Zhumangarin confirmed that the digital tenge is ready for public procurement after integration with the Ministry of Finance’s information systems. Starting in August, government agencies will use the CBDC for purchases of medicines, fuel, lubricants, and other essential supplies. Kazakhstan has already issued 340 billion digital tenge—equivalent to roughly $626 million—completed 20 pilot projects, and has 10 more ongoing, with plans to launch 50 additional pilots. Moreover, digital tenge payments are now mandatory across eight categories of budget expenditure for projects exceeding 100 million tenge (about $184,000), including infrastructure, subsidies, grants, and purchases by the National Bank and quasi‑state entities.
Together, the mining incentive program and the CBDC rollout create a coordinated national strategy that turns Bitcoin mining into a tool for sovereign wealth while embedding programmable money into everyday government spending.
