Astana, Kazakhstan's capital, is drawing attention as a new base for the global tech industry.

Business Insider reported on Sept. 7, local time, that major figures and companies including Binance, Telegram and Balaji Srinivasan (발라지 스리니바산) are entering Kazakhstan or expanding local operations, bolstering its prospects as a Central Asian technology hub.

Most recently, Srinivasan, a former chief technology officer at Coinbase and a partner at Andreessen Horowitz, officially opened a resident startup community in Kazakhstan. After his Malaysia base was suspended in late August, he reopened his "Network School" in Astana for founders, crypto industry figures and digital nomads. The Network School is located in Astana Hub, a technology park that offers tax benefits to technology companies. Srinivasan said he views Kazakhstan as an advanced technology nation that recently took first place at the International Physics Olympiad, adding that it has many confident and smart young talents and is drawing talent from around the world.

Moves in the crypto industry are also continuing. Changpeng Zhao (창펑 자오), Binance's founder, who visited Astana last week, said he was "particularly impressed" by the scale of Kazakhstan's technology, education and infrastructure projects. Binance signed three agreements with the Kazakhstan government, including reviewing a Kazakhstan-based stablecoin and building part of Binance's regional operations and infrastructure locally.

Telegram is also expanding its local presence. Pavel Durov (파벨 두로프), Telegram's founder, visited Kazakhstan in 2024 and described the country as an "economic powerhouse of Central Asia". He said on his personal Telegram channel that Kazakhstan's beauty matches its ambition, adding that business-friendly policies and a favorable tax system are attracting international companies and technology startups. Telegram later opened its first regional office in Kazakhstan and launched an artificial intelligence research institute to use Astana's supercomputing infrastructure.

Interest in Kazakhstan is not limited to a few well-known figures. Venture capitalist Tim Draper (팀 드레이퍼) and former president of Google China Kai-Fu Lee (카이푸 리) also described Kazakhstan as a hub for startups and AI.

The trend also aligns with Kazakhstan's strategy to attract talent. Kazakhstan has introduced a Digital Nomad visa and a Neo Nomad visa over the past 2 years for foreign tech workers and remote workers. President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev (카심조마르트 토카예프) in May instructed additional immigration reforms to attract highly skilled workers, entrepreneurs and foreign investors. Deputy Prime Minister Zhaslan Madiyev (자슬란 마디예프) said in a July press release, "AI develops where there are talented people and bold ideas, and an environment to realise them," adding, "Kazakhstan is building exactly that kind of ecosystem."

The article also notes that some tech industry figures who strongly back Kazakhstan moved their base of activity after facing regulatory issues in other regions. Durov has long been in conflict with the Russian government over its demands for access rights to Telegram and is currently facing terrorism-related allegations in Russia. In France, he has also been under an official investigation related to suspected criminal activity via Telegram since his arrest in 2024.

Zhao stepped down as Binance's chief executive after pleading guilty in the United States in 2023 to violating an anti-money laundering law, and Binance paid more than $4 billion to resolve federal allegations. Srinivasan also moved the base of his Network School from Malaysia to Kazakhstan after facing regulatory issues this summer.

Kazakhstan is actively seeking to attract global tech talent and companies on the back of the interest. Attention is focused on whether an attraction strategy combining visas, tax benefits and technology infrastructure will lead to actual investment and relocations.