Holders of digital assets in Kazakhstan can now spend them through dedicated crypto cards, bypassing unnecessary transfers. The product was developed by two banks, according to infohub.kz.
Cryptocurrencies are not only high-risk digital assets, as they are commonly perceived, but also hold enormous potential for improving and accelerating financial infrastructure. That is why various countries are seeking to integrate crypto technologies with the traditional sphere of monetary settlements.
In Kazakhstan, this capability has already been launched in the form of cryptocurrency cards. Sanzhar Zhamalov, Mastercard's general director in Kazakhstan, announced this during a panel discussion titled "The Future of Financial Infrastructure" at the Astana Finance Days 2026 forum.
According to the speaker, Mastercard, in partnership with Bank CenterCredit and Eurasian Bank, developed crypto cards — a tool that allows users to spend cryptocurrency on goods and services.
He noted that this significantly simplifies the experience of using digital assets: Kazakhs typically shy away from them because of the need to work with several tools at once — selling assets on a crypto exchange requires certain knowledge and skills. There is also the fear of sending money to the wrong place, and users must navigate complex systems. With a crypto card, however, the payment process is no different from using an ordinary bank card.
"Say you have money somewhere on a crypto exchange, and you also have a crypto card from a bank you know. You don't need to transfer anything — you just take the card, go to any merchant and pay with it. That is, a seamless transaction is created," Sanzhar Zhamalov said.
Settlement is carried out in tenge, not through cryptocurrency: when paying with a crypto card, the digital asset is converted on the platform of the Astana International Financial Centre between the crypto exchange and a second-tier bank in the national currency at the current exchange rate; the merchant receives payment in tenge instantly.
"This is a regulated, standard transaction. And this is an important step toward creating interoperability between systems, so that everything is seamless, secure and convenient for everyone," Sanzhar Zhamalov concluded.
The head of Mastercard also spoke about the creation of the Crypto Credential system — it greatly simplifies cryptocurrency transfers between users by replacing long and complex crypto wallet addresses with simple, clear pseudonyms (aliases) or usernames.
In other words, cryptocurrency technologies are being actively integrated into the traditional financial system, simplifying many processes and giving users more opportunities.