Kazakh Central Bank Opening Reserves to Crypto Assets: Reuters
The National Bank of Kazakhstan safeguards $69B of international reserves and a $65B oil fund.
The National Bank of Kazakhstan plans to diversify a portion of its $69.4B foreign exchange and gold reserves into crypto assets.
What's the Scoop?
- Diversifying With Crypto: According to Reuters, at a Kazakh briefing on interest rates earlier today, Chair Timur Suleimanov said his central bank will set aside $350M for investment across numerous acceptable digital asset investments, which will extend beyond direct cryptocurrency holdings. As of February 1, the National Bank of Kazakhstan held $69.4B in gold and foreign exchange reserves (the country’s oil-funded "National Fund" held an additional $65.2B in assets).
- Starting Small: Deputy Chair Aliya Moldabekova stated that investments will begin in April or May, and emphasized that purchases will start small. “We are not talking about any large investment in cryptocurrencies,” Moldabekova said, according to Reuters. “We are currently selecting companies that deal with digital assets, for example those involved in cryptocurrency infrastructure.”
🚨Kazakhstan central bank to invest up to $350M in digital assets; likely to include Bitcoin
— matthew sigel, recovering CFA (@matthew_sigel) March 6, 2026
>Will begin in April-May
>Total central bank FX reserves and gold = $69B
>Investment will come from Gold & FX reserves fund, not the sovereign wealth fund pic.twitter.com/ns9h4MiIfD
Jack Inabinet
Jack Inabinet is a Senior Analyst with a passion for exploring the bleeding edge of crypto and finance. Prior to joining Bankless, Jack worked as an analyst at HAL Real Estate where he conducted market research and financial analysis for commercial real estate development and acquisition activities in the Seattle region. He graduated from the University of Washington’s Michael G. Foster School of Business.
