Kazakhstan has unveiled Central Asia's first spot Bitcoin Exchange Traded Fund (ETF), managed by Fonte Capital with trading on the Astana International Exchange (AIX).
- Kazakh investment management firm Fonte Bitcoin Exchange Traded Fund (BETF) is physically backed by Bitcoin held with custodian BitGo Trust and began trading on 13th August.
- BETF is subject to the rules and oversight of the Astana Financial Services Authority, providing on-exchange exposure to Bitcoin without the operational burden of managing wallets and private keys.
- The listing of the BETF is a significant marker of Kazakhstan's aspiration to become a leading market for digital assets in the region, expanding investor access in an area where listed crypto products are scarce.
Kazakhstan has listed Central Asia’s first spot (BTC) as the capital Astana pushes its AIFC financial centre to become a regional hub for digital assets.
Kazakh investment management firm Fonte Capital’s Fonte Bitcoin Exchange Traded Fund OEIC (BETF) is quoted in US dollars on the Astana International Exchange (AIX) and begins trading on Wednesday, 13 August. Each share is physically backed by Bitcoin held with custodian BitGo Trust. The news was first reported by Jinse Finance.
BETF falls under the AIFC’s rules and the oversight of the Astana Financial Services Authority, offering on-exchange exposure to Bitcoin without the operational burden of and . The product is open to domestic and foreign retail and institutional investors via AIX member brokers.
The launch follows China’s 2021 crackdown on crypto transactions and , which pushed miners into Kazakhstan and briefly made it one of the world’s largest Bitcoin-mining centres before the industry contracted under new rules and energy constraints. The country most recently ranked 57th out of 151 in Chainalysis’s global crypto adoption index.
BETF joins a growing roster of spot Bitcoin ETFs worldwide, expanding investor access in a region where listed crypto products remain scarce. By joining the US, Europe and Hong Kong in permitting such funds, Kazakhstan is proving its ambition to become the region’s leading market for digital assets.
