Eurasian Bank, Mastercard, Together with Intebix Crypto Exchange, Preparing to Issue Crypto Card
31 January 2025, Almaty — Eurasian Bank and Mastercard, together with Intebix Crypto Exchange, presented at the Digital Almaty 2025 Forum a draft crypto card, a payment bank card based on crypto-currencies, which is planned to be released in the near future. The crypto card allows you to perform operations with both traditional and crypto-currencies.
At an expanded government meeting on 28 January, The President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev announced the need to expand the range of crypto-currency circulation in the country, “It is urgently necessary to create an infrastructure for wider legal circulation of digital assets. Financial regulators should take up the formation of an appropriate legislative framework.”
The solution presented at the forum by Mastercard, Intebix Crypto Exchange and Eurasian Bank meets this task. Kazakhstan is steadily developing the digital economy, introducing advanced technologies in the field of crypto-currencies and blockchain. Over the past few years, the country has made significant strides in creating an innovative infrastructure that facilitates the integration of digital assets into the financial system.
The development of the crypto-currency asset issue project has been ongoing since 2022, which became the starting point for the crypto industry in Kazakhstan – Eurasian Bank successfully conducted the first crypto-currency transaction in the region in tenge from an account linked to a client’s account on the Intebix Crypto Exchange, confirming the possibility of secure and legal operations with digital assets. In 2023, the country took another step forward by launching the first loyalty program tokenization project in Kazakhstan. In partnership with Intebix, Eurasian Bank, Mastercard, Technodom ecosystem and AIRBA, a unique reward system based on blockchain technologies has been developed, allowing users to receive and use tokenized bonuses. 2024 was marked by another technological breakthrough: Kazakhstan became the first country in Central Asia to conduct an operation using Mastercard Crypto Credential, a global solution that ensures the security and convenience of transactions with digital assets.
Today, Kazakhstan is preparing for the next significant stage – the launch of the country’s first crypto-currency Mastercard payment card. It is currently being tested in the regulatory sandbox of the National Bank of the Republic of Kazakhstan. This initiative opens up new opportunities for users by combining the benefits of traditional payments with the potential of digital assets.
“We are grateful to the National Bank for its inspiring approach and the opportunity to test innovative financial products in the regulatory sandbox. Our goal is to offer our clients a modern, secure and fully legal tool for working with digital assets within the framework of current legislation,” said Lyazzat Satiyeva, CEO of Eurasian Bank.
“As part of the government’s initiatives to integrate innovative solutions into the national financial system, Intebix is actively contributing to the formation of the digital asset ecosystem in Kazakhstan by providing the necessary infrastructure and support to ensure the security and efficiency of crypto-currency trading,” said Talgat Dosanov, Director of the Intebix digital asset exchange.
“Mastercard actively supports the development of fintech and the implementation of solutions that combine the convenience and security of traditional payments with the capabilities of crypto assets around the world. Thus, the crypto-currency payment card of Eurasian Bank, Intebix and Mastercard will become an important tool towards expanding the legal use of digital assets by citizens of Kazakhstan,” said Sanzhar Zhamalov, CEO of Mastercard in Kazakhstan and Central Asia.
In recent years, there has been great interest in crypto-currency transactions in Kazakhstan, and initiatives aimed at integrating digital assets into the financial system have been introduced, which contributes to increased trust in crypto-currencies and their wider use. For businesses and private users, the relevance of crypto operations is due to the possibility of fast and convenient cross-border settlements, risk hedging and asset diversification. The launch of innovative products such as crypto-currency payment cards contributes to the further development of Kazakhstan’s digital economy by providing users with secure and convenient tools for working with crypto assets.
Background information:
Eurasian Bank is a socially significant financial institution in Kazakhstan, the seventh largest in terms of assets among Kazakhstani banks as of 1 December 2024. The absolute leader in auto loans, is one of the top 3 banks in consumer lending, holds leading positions in retail, and provides a wide range of services to corporate clients and entrepreneurs. The Bank belongs to the ecosystem of the ERG group (one of the largest companies in the world in the field of mining and processing of mineral resources).
Eurasian Bank PR Service
+7 (727) 259-95-99, Ext.: 4401
Intebix (Biteeu Eurasia Ltd) is an official exchange licensed in the AIFC, Australia, Poland and Estonia. Biteeu became the first exchange in the world to launch exchange servers into space on the SpaceX rocket. The mission of the exchange is to create a new, legal market for tokenized assets.
About Mastercard (NYSE: MA)
Mastercard develops local economies and inspires people in more than 200 countries around the world. Together with our clients, we are building a sustainable economic environment in which everyone can thrive. We create many opportunities for digital payments, making transactions secure, simple, smart and affordable. Our technologies and innovations, partnerships and connections serve to help people, companies and governments realize their greatest potential.
Mastercard Press Office in Kazakhstan
Phone: +7 (727) 264 67 37