- Kazakhstan launches Solana Economic Zone in Astana to enable tokenized finance, on-chain securities, and real-time capital markets integration.
- MOU with Solana Foundation tasks Digital Development Ministry to deliver blockchain engineering education and developer training nationwide programs.
Kazakhstan has opened the first Solana Economic Zone in Central Asia, aiming to bring tokenized finance and Web3 development to its capital markets. The announcement at the Astana International Forum 2025 marked a new chapter for the country’s digital strategy. Local regulators signed a memorandum of understanding with the Solana Foundation to roll out infrastructure support for startups, regulatory guidance and educational programs.
The Solana Foundation has signed an MOU with Kazakhstan's MDAI following the launch of the first Solana Economic Zone in Central Asia 🇰🇿
This partnership will advance tokenized capital markets, crypto developer education, and resources for Solana startups based in the region. pic.twitter.com/TgR0SDN66H
— Solana (@solana) June 21, 2025
Under the partnership, Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Digital Development will work with Solana to deliver a nationwide curriculum in blockchain engineering. Training sessions will prepare developers to build on Solana’s high-speed network. Meanwhile, capital market authorities plan to pilot tokenized bonds and equity, translating traditional securities into on-chain instruments that settle in real time.
The zone will also offer incentives—such as tax breaks and simplified licensing—to global Web3 companies. Firms that establish research labs or data centers within the zone will gain access to low-latency connections and on-site regulatory assistance. Organizers expect this to draw in protocol teams, DeFi operators and NFT marketplaces seeking a clear legal framework.
Solana (SOL) itself has seen growing institutional interest, trading near $147 with a market cap around $77 million as of June 2025. The network’s throughput and low fees have attracted projects ranging from decentralized exchanges to real-time gaming platforms. In the United States, Wyoming has even slated a state-issued stablecoin on Solana for August, signaling confidence in the chain’s capacity for financial applications.
Kazakhstan’s wider crypto agenda also includes a pilot central bank digital currency and a recently launched crypto payment card. By combining tokenized assets, a trained developer base and clear regulations, Kazakhstan positions itself as a regional leader in crypto finance.
Solana (SOL) is trading at $136.03, marking a +6.80% increase in the last 24 hours, following several days of sharp correction. Despite this intraday recovery, SOL is still down -13.01% over the last 7 days, underperforming both the broader crypto market and the smart contract platform sector. The market cap now sits at approximately $72.5 billion, placing Solana as the #6 largest cryptocurrency by market capitalization.
Solana’s strong bounce today follows a renewed wave of ecosystem activity and institutional integration, most notably the announcement that Fiserv, a Fortune 500 financial technology firm, will launch a stablecoin on Solana in partnership with Paxos and Circle.
At the technical level, SOL has regained traction above the $130 psychological zone after briefly dipping near $127, where high-volume support was found. It is attempting to reclaim the 50-day EMA, and if today’s momentum sustains, a push toward $142–$150 is possible.
RSI has moved up from oversold territory, and trading volume has surged to over $4.5 billion, indicating strong interest at current levels.
Fundamentally, Solana continues to demonstrate rapid ecosystem expansion. New integrations such as Solang, a compiler that brings Ethereum’s Solidity programming compatibility to Solana, aim to reduce friction for developers migrating from Ethereum.
Additionally, improvements in validator client diversity, with the emergence of Jito, Firedancer, and Sig, help strengthen Solana’s network resilience, addressing past concerns related to chain outages.
