The number of registered crimes under the article concerning money laundering (legalization of income obtained through criminal means) in Kazakhstan has nearly doubled over the past year, reaching a record high for the decade, as reported by Ulysmedia.kz.
By the end of 2025, 140 cases of money laundering were registered in Kazakhstan, which is 84% more than in 2024. This is the highest level in the last ten years, and such a number of cases under Article 218 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan has not been recorded before. Out of 140 criminal cases, 130, which constitutes 93%, fall into the category of serious crimes.
Who is involved in money laundering in Kazakhstan?
Analysts noted that 98 cases of money laundering were completed, of which 93 were sent to court. 15 cases were closed due to lack of evidence. In 2025, there were 172 cases under Article 218 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan, of which 121 were completed, and 116 were submitted to court. This year, 42 individuals were recognized as suspects in money laundering cases, of which 50% have higher education, and seven are women. The majority of suspects (29 individuals) were over 30 years old.
Among the suspects, eight were engaged in private entrepreneurship, two worked in government structures, and one was a laborer. 24 individuals were unemployed at the time of committing the crime, according to calculations by the PKB. As a result, in 2025, 15 individuals were convicted under Article 218, including five women. Seven of them received prison sentences, while five were given restrictions on freedom.
In other cases, the punishment was expressed in fines totaling 7.9 million tenge, conditional sentences, and deferrals of serving sentences. The increase in detected crimes is likely related to the uncovering of schemes for shadow cryptocurrency trading. Last year, the AFM reported the closure of 130 "black" cryptocurrency exchanges.
