Kazakhstan President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has signed amendments to the regulation on synthetic intelligence and digitalization. These amendments allow crypto mining and circulation outdoors the Astana Worldwide Monetary Heart (AIFC).
Beforehand, it was formally believed that corporations working within the AIFC had preferential rights to interact within the mining, buying and selling, and alternate of crypto belongings. Nonetheless, with the brand new regulation, which can come into pressure 60 days after its publication, particular person entrepreneurs and authorized entities in Kazakhstan will formally be granted permission to mine crypto.
Kazakhstani miners to promote their crypto belongings to different exchanges
Though the brand new regulation permits the circulation of unsecured crypto belongings all through Kazakhstan, crypto providers will nonetheless have to receive a license from the regulatory company. To that finish, Kazakhstani miners are not required to promote most of their crypto belongings by means of the AIFC exchanges.
The regulation would require a limitation on the processing interval of non-public knowledge. The consent of an investor who has offered private knowledge, for instance, to a financial institution or crypto alternate, will not be legitimate for longer than “the interval vital to realize the acknowledged functions of accumulating the data.”
This transfer comes after the nation introduced its intention to ascertain a nationwide crypto reserve that may maintain as much as $1 billion in belongings, together with confiscated cryptocurrencies and shares of corporations concerned within the digital forex house. The fund must be “up and operating” by early subsequent yr on the newest, in keeping with the pinnacle of the nation’s central financial institution.
Bitcoin miners shift to AI
As Kazakhstan calls mining worthwhile, within the US, Bitcoin miners are shifting their focus from crypto to AI. Based on Bernstein analysts, each main Bitcoin miner listed within the US has shifted its focus from mining Bitcoin to AI knowledge facilities.
Miners have confronted existential challenges since final yr’s halving, which diminished the rewards for validating Bitcoin transactions in half. Dwindling community exercise, a lack of half of their income supply, and hovering community problem have made their lives a lot tougher.
Cryptopolitan studies that corporations that would mine Bitcoin for a revenue at $50,000 a coin are actually having hassle at $100,000. On the identical time, the price of capital has gone by means of the roof, and increasing mining operations want some huge cash for ASICs and infrastructure, which could take years to pay again.
The shift isn’t new, although. VanEck already noticed this coming final yr. He acknowledged that if the 12 largest public miners switched simply 20% of their work to AI, their annual revenue would improve by roughly $14 billion.
Electrical energy demand surges within the US amidst scarcity predictions in 2026
Within the US, electrical energy demand can be growing, with a good portion concentrated in Texas, primarily attributable to knowledge facilities and crypto mining services. Due to this fact, traders are hoping that the costs of energy will go down.
Nonetheless, the US Power Data Administration says that the value of market electrical energy will go up 8.5% to $51/megawatt-hour in 2026. That is up from $47/MWh this yr, which was 23% greater than in 2024. Moreover, the full quantity of electrical energy offered is anticipated to extend by one other 2.6% subsequent yr, following a 2.4% rise in 2025.
The rise might be “led by the West South Central area, which incorporates Texas, as electrical energy demand from knowledge facilities and cryptocurrency mining services in that area will increase,” EIA mentioned.
The Trump administration and Congress are anticipated to make use of this as an opportunity to change even quicker to renewable energy by placing in much more huge photo voltaic and wind installations, together with battery storage. To that finish, renewables are anticipated to develop subsequent yr and certain make up a file 26% of all vitality generated within the US.
When mixed with the 18% of energy that may seemingly come from nuclear vegetation, carbon-free electrical energy manufacturing is anticipated to achieve 62% of all electrical energy manufacturing subsequent yr, surpassing the 40% that comes from pure gasoline.
