Solana, AirAsia MOVE, and Intebix Plan Stablecoin Travel Payments in Kazakhstan

A new collaboration between AirAsia MOVE, the Solana Foundation, and Kazakhstan’s crypto exchange Intebix aims to test whether stablecoins can power everyday travel payments. The partners signed a letter of intent (LOI) to explore integrating Evo (KZTE)—a stablecoin pegged to Kazakhstan’s national currency, the tenge—into the AirAsia MOVE travel platform for users in Kazakhstan.

If the project moves beyond the exploratory phase, travelers could eventually book flights and hotels using a blockchain‑based stablecoin, bringing cryptocurrency payments into a major consumer travel application.

What the partnership proposes

The LOI establishes a framework for the three organizations to evaluate a strategic collaboration around adding Evo (KZTE) as a payment option inside the AirAsia MOVE platform in Kazakhstan.

The initiative focuses on expanding digital payment choices for travel bookings and testing how stablecoins can work in a real consumer marketplace. KZTE is described as a tenge‑denominated stablecoin operating on the Solana blockchain, designed to maintain a value pegged to Kazakhstan’s national currency.

Because the agreement is currently an LOI rather than a finalized product launch, the partners are beginning a formal assessment of:

• technical architecture and payment flows
• settlement and conversion mechanisms
• legal and regulatory compliance in Kazakhstan

Depending on the results, the project could advance to a pilot phase.

How travelers could book flights and hotels with KZTE

If the integration proceeds, Kazakhstan users would be able to pay for flights, hotels, and other travel services directly within the AirAsia MOVE app using the KZTE stablecoin.

In practice, the process would likely resemble other digital payment methods inside travel apps:

1. A user selects flights or accommodation in AirAsia MOVE.
2. The user chooses KZTE stablecoin as the payment method.
3. Payment is processed through the Solana blockchain as the settlement layer.
4. Backend infrastructure handles conversion or settlement between crypto and traditional payment systems when required.

The concept is to move stablecoins from purely trading or remittance tools into consumer commerce—specifically travel bookings.

The roles of Solana and Intebix

Each partner plays a different role in the proposed system.

Solana Foundation:
Solana provides the blockchain infrastructure where the KZTE stablecoin operates. Transactions and settlement would occur on the Solana network, which serves as the underlying payment rail for the token.

Intebix:
Intebix is a Kazakhstan‑based cryptocurrency exchange and the local ecosystem partner. It acts as the issuer and exchange participant involved in the stablecoin’s infrastructure and local market operations.

Together, the structure resembles a typical stablecoin stack:

• blockchain network for transaction settlement (Solana)
• local regulated issuer and exchange participant (Intebix)
• consumer platform integrating the payment option (AirAsia MOVE)

However, public details about the exact conversion, custody, and merchant‑settlement workflows remain limited while the project is still under evaluation.

How Evo (KZTE) was originally launched

The Evo stablecoin predates the AirAsia exploration initiative.

In September 2025, Kazakhstan introduced a pilot project for the tenge‑pegged stablecoin Evo (KZTE) under the National Bank of Kazakhstan’s digital assets regulatory sandbox.

Key elements of the launch included:

• Issuer: Intebix crypto exchange, working with Eurasian Bank
• Blockchain infrastructure: Solana
• Payments partner: Mastercard, supporting links to broader payment networks

The pilot aimed to test how a national‑currency‑backed stablecoin could bridge traditional finance and blockchain systems while operating under regulatory supervision.

Regulatory approvals still required

Even though the stablecoin already exists in pilot form, the AirAsia MOVE integration is not yet approved for commercial use.

The partners must still evaluate compliance pathways within Kazakhstan’s regulatory environment, including sandbox testing overseen by the National Bank of Kazakhstan.

The assessment phase includes:

• verifying technical architecture
• validating settlement and payment flows
• confirming compliance with local digital‑asset rules

Only after those evaluations could the project move into a pilot rollout.

Why the project matters for Solana in Central Asia

The partnership fits into a broader push by the Solana ecosystem to expand real‑world blockchain use cases in Central Asia.

Solana has already been involved in several regional initiatives, including collaborations with Kazakhstan to support blockchain development and infrastructure projects aimed at positioning the country as a regional Web3 hub.

Within that strategy, stablecoins are a key building block. They can enable:

• digital payments
• cross‑border remittances
• decentralized finance (DeFi) services
• new financial tools for diaspora users

Exploring travel payments through a major consumer platform like AirAsia MOVE provides a potential real‑world test of stablecoins in everyday commerce, rather than just crypto trading.

The bottom line

The collaboration between AirAsia MOVE, the Solana Foundation, and Intebix is an exploratory effort to bring a national‑currency stablecoin into mainstream travel payments.

If the technical assessments and regulatory approvals succeed, travelers in Kazakhstan could eventually book flights and hotels using the tenge‑pegged Evo (KZTE) stablecoin on Solana—an example of how blockchain infrastructure is gradually moving into consumer payment systems.