Kazakhstan President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has signed amendments to the legislation on synthetic intelligence and digitalization. These amendments allow crypto mining and circulation outdoors the Astana Worldwide Monetary Middle (AIFC).
Beforehand, it was formally believed that firms working within the AIFC had preferential rights to interact within the mining, buying and selling, and trade of crypto property. Nonetheless, with the brand new legislation, which is able to come into power 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 property to different exchanges
Though the brand new legislation permits the circulation of unsecured crypto property all through Kazakhstan, crypto providers will nonetheless have to acquire a license from the regulatory company. To that finish, Kazakhstani miners are not required to promote most of their crypto property via the AIFC exchanges.
The legislation would require a limitation on the processing interval of private information. The consent of an investor who has offered private information, for instance, to a financial institution or crypto trade, 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 can maintain as much as $1 billion in property, together with confiscated cryptocurrencies and shares of firms concerned within the digital foreign money house. The fund ought to be “up and operating” by early subsequent yr on the newest, in line 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. In line with Bernstein analysts, each main Bitcoin miner listed within the US has shifted its focus from mining Bitcoin to AI information facilities.
Miners have confronted existential challenges since final yr’s halving, which decreased the rewards for validating Bitcoin transactions in half. Dwindling community exercise, a lack of half of their income supply, and hovering community issue have made their lives a lot tougher.
Cryptopolitan experiences that firms that would mine Bitcoin for a revenue at $50,000 a coin are actually having bother at $100,000. On the identical time, the price of capital has gone via 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 earnings 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 on account of information facilities and crypto mining amenities. Subsequently, 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 overall 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 shall be “led by the West South Central area, which incorporates Texas, as electrical energy demand from information facilities and cryptocurrency mining amenities in that area will increase,” EIA stated.
The Trump administration and Congress are anticipated to make use of this as an opportunity to modify even sooner to renewable energy by placing in much more massive photo voltaic and wind installations, together with battery storage. To that finish, renewables are anticipated to develop subsequent yr and sure make up a report 26% of all power generated within the US.
When mixed with the 18% of energy that can seemingly come from nuclear vegetation, carbon-free electrical energy manufacturing is anticipated to succeed in 62% of all electrical energy manufacturing subsequent yr, surpassing the 40% that comes from pure fuel.
