Raison Securities Limited Gets a New AFSA License

AFSA, the regulator of the Astana International Financial Center, has granted Raison Securities Limited a Providing Money Services license. The company can now offer currency exchange services and accept and initiate money transfers.

For a broker, this combination of licenses is rare. According to the AFSA public register, only 8 of more than 130 licensed companies hold both brokerage and payment permissions. Most of them are bank branches and digital asset platforms. Among non-bank investment companies, there are only three, including Raison Securities.

What Changes Right Now

The first change is currency exchange. Previously, conversion went through intermediaries, each adding its own markup. Now, transactions are executed directly on the exchange, so clients receive a rate closer to the market rate.

This is especially noticeable with regular deposits and withdrawals. Even a small difference in the rate adds up to a meaningful amount over time.

What Comes Next

The new license creates opportunities for the further development of Raison's payment services. Going forward, the company is exploring solutions to integrate investment and payment scenarios, including using an investment portfolio for everyday payments.

One possible direction is to link payment cards to an investment portfolio. Whether such solutions are implemented will depend on further product development and regulatory approval.

Over time, this will allow investment and payment services to be gradually combined in a single digital space, the Raison mobile app.