Kazakhstan Introduces New Rules for Crypto Miners from August 1

Kazakhstan will launch new rules for crypto miners from August 1, 2026, and for strategic miner status it has set at least 150 MW of capacity, 150 TH/s per unit of equipment, and a separate crypto wallet for mined assets. This will primarily affect mining companies, energy firms, and those who follow state regulation of digital assets.

The government approved the resolution on July 18. It outlines who can apply for strategic miner status, how to submit an application through e-licensing or the office of the authorized body, and how part of the mined coins will be transferred to the National Strategic Crypto Reserve. The new rules also separately state that a company must have no debts to the budget, no arrests or liens on its property, at least 2 agreements with internet operators, and a service center for equipment repairs.

Why did Kazakhstan change the rules now?

The logic here is simple. The state wants not just to control mining, but to tie it to the power grid, taxes, and a strategic reserve of digital assets. For the market, this means less chaos and more requirements for large players that work with real volumes of electricity.

This is not the first step in this direction. In 2025, the authorities already proposed involving miners in energy modernization, and at the beginning of 2026 President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev signed a package of laws on banks and digital assets. Another important detail: on July 7, 2026, he signed Decree No. 1347 on the development of the digital assets industry, under which by September 30, 2026 the National Bank, the government, the financial regulator, the AFM, the AIFC, and Alatau City Authority must agree on a medium-term plan for the sector. That is why the new rules look not accidental, but part of a broader policy.

What exactly do miners need to meet?

The requirements are strict. And the numbers make that clear. A company must show its own data center with a capacity of at least 150 MW, technical conditions for connection from substations of 35 kV and above with permitted capacity from 1 MW, equipment with a hashrate of no less than 150 TH/s per unit, as well as no tax or social debts.

After the documents are submitted, the authorized body will, within 3 business days, check the completeness of the package and the accuracy of the data, and then forward the materials to a special commission. The commission then looks not only at the company itself, but also at whether there is available electricity within the quota. If the answer is positive, the miner must, within 5 business days, sign an agreement with the autonomous cluster fund Astana Hub and a contract to purchase electricity from one of the companies on the list.

A separate account or wallet is also mandatory. That is where the mining pool will credit the assets obtained within strategic mining. At the same time, companies are not prohibited from ordinary mining. In other words, businesses are given 2 tracks, but one of them now goes through state control and the reserve.

Market reaction and the energy backdrop

Against this backdrop, Kazakhstan looks like a country trying to bring mining under stricter rules after several years of boom and network overload. According to the Committee of State Revenues, 75 miners are officially registered in the country, and over the past 3 years they have paid 17.7 billion tenge in taxes, of which 11.6 billion tenge came specifically from the digital mining fee. For the budget, this is no longer a minor sector.

But there is also a downside. Inspections for 2024 found violations totaling 4.9 billion tenge, of which 2.3 billion tenge were additionally assessed as a digital mining fee and 2.6 billion tenge as corporate income tax. Another 451 million tenge was received by the budget after desk audits. This is a good signal for the state, but for miners it means one thing: old operating schemes without transparent accounting are now becoming much riskier.

A minimum 150 MW data center operating continuously will consume about 3.6 GWh per day, or 1.314 TWh per year. That is already the scale of a major energy project, not just a farm with a few racks.

And there is another important detail that helps show the scale. S&P Global, citing KEGOC, estimates crypto miners' consumption in 2024 at almost 2 billion kWh. Through official KOREM auctions, only 829.247 million kWh were purchased, while another 901 million kWh were bought by miners outside the mandatory platform. That is why the authorities are now trying to make the rules stricter and more transparent.

• Start of the new rules, August 1, 2026.

• The government resolution was adopted on July 18.

• A strategic miner needs a data center of at least 150 MW.

• The equipment must have at least 150 TH/s per unit.

• After approval, 5 business days are given for the key contracts.

• Part of the assets is planned to be transferred to the National Strategic Crypto Reserve.

What does this mean for investors?

For large miners, this is a signal that Kazakhstan is moving toward a model where access to cheap or stable electricity will be tied to status, documents, and quotas. For smaller players, the entry barrier is becoming higher. And that is not surprising, because the state is already preparing its own crypto reserve, which, according to National Bank Chairman Timur Suleimenov on June 18, 2026, has a target investment volume of 1 billion dollars.

There is another practical detail for readers from Ukraine or any other country in the region. If mining in Kazakhstan becomes more formalized and energy-dependent, part of the demand for equipment, hosting, and related services may shift to jurisdictions where the rules are simpler or electricity is cheaper. But the idea of a state reserve of digital assets already looks like a trend that other Central Asian countries will watch closely.

Historically, Kazakhstan was already the world's second BTC mining hub. In August 2021, its share of the global Bitcoin hashrate reached about 18.1%, but by early 2026 it had fallen to about 2.1% due to electricity shortages, higher tariffs, and tighter control. The new rules, in essence, are not trying to bring back the old boom, but to make the industry manageable.

Frequently asked questions

When will the new rules for crypto miners in Kazakhstan take effect?

They will take effect on August 1, 2026. The government approved the resolution on July 18, so the transition period was short.

What are the main requirements for a strategic miner?

A data center of at least 150 MW, equipment with a hashrate of at least 150 TH/s per unit, no debts, and a separate crypto wallet for assets from strategic mining are required. Two agreements with internet operators and a service center are also needed.

Will it be possible to combine strategic and ordinary mining?

Yes, the document allows this. A company can simultaneously conduct ordinary digital mining activities, but for the strategic direction it will have to go through a separate procedure and meet all the requirements.

Right now Kazakhstan is betting not on free mining, but on mining under control, with energy quotas, separate wallets, and the transfer of part of the assets into a state reserve. For those who work with crypto in practice, this is an important signal: the big rules in the region are becoming stricter, which means decisions need to be made more carefully. If you need to quickly sell Bitcoin on Monobank, you can do it without extra steps and more conveniently at the current market rate.

This material is not financial advice. Cryptocurrency trading involves significant risks. Part of this text was prepared with the help of artificial intelligence based on public sources and reviewed by our editorial team.