The requirement, then what it means
Each page takes one requirement, quotes it, restates it in a sentence, and says who it binds. Where a rule is unclear or has not come into force, the page says so instead of guessing.
1regulation
- 1.1Changes That Have Been Proposed But Are Not Yet Binding
How to tell a proposal from an obligation, and what a business should do about each.
- 1.2Where the Rules Are Silent, and What That Means in Practice
Five areas where no clear obligation exists, how firms fill the gap, and why silence is not permission.
- 1.3Which Rules Apply Inside the AIFC and Which Outside
Two regimes operate in the same country. What determines which one applies to an entity or a transaction.
- 1.4Penalties for Operating Without Authorisation
The consequences fall into four categories, and two of them reach the customers of an unauthorised firm.
- 1.5Advertising Restrictions on Crypto Services
What marketing rules in this area generally require, who they bind, and why they catch businesses that do not consider themselves advertisers.
2licensing
- 2.1Timelines: How Long Each Authorisation Step Takes
An application has five stages. Which ones have statutory clocks, which depend on the applicant, and where time is actually lost.
- 2.2Capital Requirements for Authorised Crypto Firms
Why capital is required, what it is supposed to absorb, and why the figure itself is not the useful part.
- 2.3Obligations That Apply to Foreign Platforms Serving Residents
A platform outside the jurisdiction can still be inside the perimeter. Three tests that decide it.
- 2.4What Counts as a Regulated Activity, Line by Line
Six activities commonly within the perimeter, stated plainly, with the boundary cases that cause most of the questions.
- 2.5AFSA Authorisation: The Requirements, Restated
What an applicant must demonstrate to be authorised within the AIFC regime, restated in plain sentences.
- 2.6Who Needs a Licence to Deal in Crypto in Kazakhstan
The obligation attaches to activities rather than to assets. Which activities, who they bind, and where the boundary is unclear.
3custody
- 3.1Outsourcing Rules When a Platform Uses a Foreign Custodian
Outsourcing a function does not outsource the obligation. Four requirements that follow a platform wherever it sends the work.
- 3.2Rules for Holding Client Assets, Quoted and Explained
Client asset rules are the provisions that decide what happens in an insolvency. Four requirements and what each one does.
4compliance
- 4.1Complaints Handling: What a Licensed Platform Owes Customers
Authorised firms carry obligations about complaints. What they are, what timelines apply, and what happens next.
- 4.2Sanctions Screening Requirements for Local Platforms
What screening obligations require, why they apply regardless of local listings, and what a customer experiences.
- 4.3Tax Treatment of Crypto Income, as Written
What the structure of the question is, which records satisfy any version of the answer, and where I stop.
- 4.4Record Keeping: What Must Be Stored and For How Long
Retention obligations are specific, enforced, and the most common finding in enforcement actions. What they cover.
- 4.5Reporting Thresholds, With the Numbers in One Table
Thresholds trigger obligations on institutions rather than customers. What they are for, and why I will not quote figures.
- 4.6The Travel Rule in Kazakhstan: Who It Binds and When
The requirement to transmit originator and beneficiary information with a transfer. What it covers and what remains in flux.
- 4.7Verification Rules Platforms Must Apply to Customers
Customer due diligence has four components. What each requires, when enhanced measures apply, and why refusal is not optional.