Today, local media reported that Kazakhstan is considering investing its national reserves, including gold and foreign currency, into Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies.
According to a translation to English, the Head of the country’s national bank Timur Suleimenov said, “We have an alternative portfolio for our gold and foreign exchange reserves and an alternative portfolio for the National Fund. There, we employ aggressive strategies to generate higher investment returns. We studied the experience of the Norwegian fund, the American experience, and the experience of funds in the Middle East. They have certain investments either directly in crypto assets or in ETFs and shares of companies closely linked to crypto assets. These are quite small.”
The goal is to boost returns through more aggressive strategies. Suleimenov emphasized that no final decision has been made, warning about the volatility of crypto assets. “This is not a simple question, so one should not rush here. Yes, such assets can bring high returns, but at the same time, they are characterized by high volatility,” he added.
In addition to possible investments, The National Bank is also moving forward with plans to establish a state Bitcoin and crypto reserve, first announced on June 30. This reserve would store digital assets confiscated by law enforcement, with a separate infrastructure established to manage it.
Suleimenov also said that if state backed enterprises mine Bitcoin and crypto, a portion of those assets could be collected as taxes or mandatory contributions to the national Bitcoin and crypto reserve, following other countries.
Earlier, local media reported that Kazakhstan is preparing to introduce administrative and criminal penalties for unregulated Bitcoin and crypto transactions. Currently, Bitcoin and crypto trading is only allowed on licensed exchanges within the Astana International Financial Centre (AIFC). The national bank also plans to restrict advertising of digital assets.