The National Bank of Kazakhstan has formed a separate cryptocurrency reserve within its foreign exchange and gold assets, the regulator announced.

Reserve objectives

The new reserve is intended to allocate assets into yield-generating instruments connected to digital finance and related infrastructure projects.

Authorities specified that investments will target instruments expected to produce income rather than speculative holdings in volatile tokens.

Planned allocations

According to the head of the central bank, the initial phase could include placements ranging from $50 mln to $300 mln within the current year.

The regulator framed the first tranche as a pilot stage designed to assess market instruments and operational frameworks for digital-asset investments.

Investment constraints and governance

Officials emphasized that the reserve will limit exposure to instruments with identifiable income streams and established legal structures in digital finance.

Risk management and reporting procedures will be applied to ensure the reserve remains part of the sovereign portfolio and complies with existing regulations.

Context

The move signals a formal step by a national regulator to integrate digital-finance instruments into official reserve management practices, according to the announcement.

Authorities framed the initiative as measured and phased, with early allocations intended to inform subsequent governance and strategy decisions.