CFD broker xChief (formerly ForexChief) has entered Kazakhstan’s regulated market. The company launched an AIFC-licensed entity offering local oversight and institutional-grade services, but only to professional investors who meet strict eligibility thresholds.
xChief Central Asia Ltd received authorization from the Astana Financial Services Authority (AFSA) under license number AFSA-A-LA-2025-0012. The company is permitted to act as principal and agent in investments and to arrange investment deals.
The AIFC license imposes strict client eligibility criteria. Under AFSA regulations, qualified investor status typically requires a portfolio exceeding $500,000 or at least two years of documented trading experience. This restriction excludes retail traders, who continue accessing xChief services through the group's offshore entity.
A regulated Presence with Clear Limits
The company opened a physical office within the AIFC zone at 55/20 Mangilik El Avenue, Block C4.1, Office 230 in Astana. xChief Central Asia stated the location will serve as a regional hub for partnerships with institutional counterparties, affiliates, and influencers targeting Central Asian audiences.
The broker's product offering emphasizes CFD trading on metals, particularly gold, where the company claims to provide deep liquidity and competitive spreads. The execution infrastructure relies on prime brokerage liquidity providers regulated in the UK and the EU, according to the announcement.
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The AIFC operates under English common law and maintains regulatory standards that sit between those of offshore jurisdictions and Tier 1 regulators such as the UK's Financial Conduct Authority or Australia's ASIC. The framework emphasizes anti-money laundering compliance and qualified client protection rather than retail investor safeguards.
xChief Central Asia operates a separate Kazakhstan-facing website at xchief.kz, distinct from the group's main domain. The entity's regulatory status can be verified through AFSA's public register at publicreg.myafsa.com.
The Dual-Structure Model
The entity operates independently from the group's main offshore structure, which holds a license from the Mwali International Services Authority in the Comoros.
The dual-structure model—maintaining an offshore license for retail operations while establishing a regulated entity for professional clients in specific markets—reflects a common approach among multi-jurisdiction brokers seeking to balance accessibility with regulatory compliance in emerging markets.
For Kazakhstan residents, the AIFC-licensed entity provides local regulatory oversight, but the professional client threshold creates a barrier to entry that excludes most individual traders from accessing domestically regulated services.
