Kraken Parent Payward Gets AFSA In-Principle Approval in Kazakhstan, Not Yet a Licence

Payward, the parent company of the Kraken exchange, said on 21 October 2026 that the Astana Financial Services Authority (AFSA) has granted in-principle approval to license Payward Kazakhstan in the Astana International Financial Centre (AIFC). In-principle approval is not a licence: it is an earlier stage of the authorisation process, and the AFSA has not yet issued a licence to the company.

What Payward Says It Applied For

According to Payward's announcement, the approval relates to licensing Payward Kazakhstan to operate a digital asset trading facility, deal in investments as principal and as agent, and provide custody of digital assets in the AIFC. Payward also said Kazakh traders will gain access to Kraken's global order books.

Dave Ripley, Co-CEO of Payward and Kraken, said: “The AFSA and AIFC teams have been constructive and rigorous throughout this process, and we appreciate the engagement.” These are company statements; no AFSA announcement on the approval was found.

What the AFSA Register Shows

On 22 October 2026, the AFSA public register of Digital Asset Service Providers listed 48 licences held by 42 companies. No Payward or Kraken company appeared on it.

Why It Matters

The announcement marks a step towards a licence rather than a licence itself. Whether and when the AFSA grants one to Payward Kazakhstan, and for which of the activities named by the company, will be shown on the AFSA public register of Digital Asset Service Providers.