Points of Focus

• Solana Foundation signed an MOU with Alatau City during a Hong Kong investment roadshow on June 11-12.
• The agreement covers blockchain infrastructure, startup incubation, and developer training in a planned innovation district near Almaty.
• The deal builds on Kazakhstan’s 2025 Solana Economic Zone framework and gives those plans a dedicated physical base.

The Solana Foundation has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Alatau City, a planned innovation district in Kazakhstan, giving its year-long partnership with the country a dedicated location for blockchain infrastructure, startup support, and developer training.

The agreement was signed during the Alatau City Roadshow in Hong Kong on June 11-12 and focuses on developing digital infrastructure, supporting technology startups, and training blockchain specialists. 

While Solana and Kazakhstan have collaborated since 2025, this is the first agreement that ties their blockchain, startup, and education initiatives to a specific location.

JUST IN: Alatau City, Kazakstan has signed a memorandum of cooperation with Solana Foundation.

The agreement focuses on developing the innovative ecosystem of Alatau City, supporting technology startups, and training specialists in blockchain. pic.twitter.com/xKGgIwvyeC

— Solana Foundation (@SolanaFndn) June 13, 2026

Alatau City becomes Solana’s local development hub

Alatau City is being developed along the Almaty-Qonaev corridor as a special economic and technology zone backed by Kazakhstan’s government. Kazakh officials have positioned the project as a hub for fintech, artificial intelligence, Web3 applications, and digital infrastructure development.

Under the new agreement, Solana Foundation will support the city’s innovation ecosystem through three areas: digital infrastructure deployment, startup development programs, and blockchain education. The training component includes efforts to prepare local developers for work with blockchain technologies and Rust, the programming language widely used across the Solana ecosystem.

The deal was one of six cooperation agreements signed during the Hong Kong roadshow, which brought together investment firms, technology companies, and business groups evaluating opportunities in Alatau City.

New MOU builds on Solana Economic Zone plans

The latest agreement expands on a broader framework established in June 2025, when the Solana Foundation signed an MOU with Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Digital Development, Innovation and Aerospace Industry to launch the Solana Economic Zone Kazakhstan initiative.

That earlier agreement outlined goals around tokenized markets, startup attraction, and blockchain education. The Alatau City partnership adds a physical destination where those programs can be developed and coordinated.

The signing also follows another Solana-linked milestone in Kazakhstan. Earlier this month, the Kazakhstan Stock Exchange became the country’s first registered digital asset platform operator under a framework that took effect on May 1, with Solana serving as the blockchain infrastructure partner.

Kazakhstan’s recent blockchain initiatives have expanded beyond the crypto mining sector that grew rapidly after China’s 2021 mining crackdown, with policymakers increasingly focusing on digital asset infrastructure, startup development, and technology education.

Neither the Alatau City agreement nor the 2025 Solana Economic Zone framework disclosed funding commitments or deployment targets. The latest deal was signed during the Alatau City Roadshow in Hong Kong on June 11-12 as Kazakhstan sought to attract international technology and investment partners to the project.