The Astana Financial Services Authority (AFSA) issued an alert about the alleged fraudulent activities of an individual presenting himself as Nurlan Asilbekov, who is purportedly promoting financial services through a private Telegram channel using a forged version of an AFSA licence. AFSA reported that the forged document references licence No. AFSA-G-LA-2023-0004, originally issued to Bybit Limited on 07 June 2023 for the market activity “Operator of a Digital Asset Trading Facility”. The regulator noted that the forged licence includes the individual’s name, which would not appear on authentic AFSA licences, and reiterated that AFSA grants licences only to legal entities, not natural persons. AFSA urged the public to verify authorisation via its Public Register and noted that Bybit Limited provides a “Bybit Authenticity Check” tool on its website; it also warned that dealing with unauthorised persons is at the individual’s own risk and may fall outside the protections of the Astana International Financial Centre legal and regulatory framework.
Astana Financial Services Authority 2025-04-15
Astana Financial Services Authority warns of forged Bybit Limited licence used to promote services via Telegram
The Astana Financial Services Authority (AFSA) alerted the public about fraudulent activities by Nurlan Asilbekov, promoting financial services with a forged AFSA licence on Telegram. The fake document references licence No. AFSA-G-LA-2023-0004, originally issued to Bybit Limited, and includes the individual's name, which is atypical for genuine AFSA licences. AFSA advises verifying authorisation through its Public Register and warns that transactions with unauthorised persons may lack protection under the Astana International Financial Centre's legal framework.