Cryptocurrency exchange Binance is behind an initiative to qualify university students in Kazakhstan to work in the industry. Under an agreement with the government, the blockchain course will be added to the curricula of higher education institutions across the country.
Binance Exchange to Help Teach Blockchain at Kazakhstan’s Universities
The world’s largest crypto exchange, Binance, is launching an education program in Kazakhstan. The trading platform is preparing to provide blockchain training to more than 40,000 students by 2026 at universities and colleges across the Central Asian nation, according to a press release published on Tuesday.
Binance is partnering on the initiative with the Blockchain Center research lab established by the Center for the Development of Payment and Financial Technologies of the National Bank of Kazakhstan (NBK) and the Astana International Financial Centre (AIFC), the Ministry of Digital Development, and the Ministry of Education.
The project will be realized under a memorandum of cooperation with these government organizations signed by Zhaslan Madiyev, general manager of Binance Kazakhstan. In accordance with the agreement, the exchange will provide educational materials and support for the basic course on blockchain and compliance.
Kazakhstan now becomes one of the first countries to add a blockchain curriculum to the educational programs of universities, the announcement noted. “Professionals with the knowledge of blockchain, digital assets and compliance will become a resource for the global blockchain industry,” the participants hope. Gleb Kostarev, Asia regional head at Binance, commented:
We support Kazakhstan’s goal to become a leading player in digital technologies which would not be possible without increasing education and blockchain adoption around the country.
Global Cryptocurrency Exchange Seeks Expansion in Central Asia
The initiative stems from a meeting of Binance founder and CEO Changpeng Zhao with President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev in May of this year. In October, Binance offered to support Kazakhstan’s government in the “safe development” of the country’s crypto sector. The NBK plans to use the Bnb Chain for the deployment of its digital tenge.
Also in October, Binance was licensed to operate as a provider of crypto exchange and custody services out of the Astana financial hub. The focus on Kazakhstan comes after it became a major mining hotspot since Chinese authorities cracked down on the industry in 2021. Its government has been trying to regulate the crypto space.
The global platform has been seeking to expand its presence in the region amid the ongoing crypto winter and held meetings with officials in neighboring Kyrgyzstan as well. Earlier this month, it also offered to support the government of Azerbaijan, another former-Soviet republic, in its efforts to establish a national regulatory framework for digital assets.