Solana Foundation, Southeast Asian travel platform AirAsia MOVE, and Kazakhstan-based crypto exchange Intebix have signed a Letter of Intent to explore using the Evo stablecoin for travel-related payments on the Solana blockchain. The pilot study will examine whether travelers in Kazakhstan can use Evo, a digital token linked to the Kazakh tenge, to book flights and hotels through AirAsia MOVE’s platform while complying with local digital asset regulations.

A Travel Platform With 17 Million Monthly Users Enters the Stablecoin Space

AirAsia MOVE operates as a comprehensive travel booking platform connecting users to approximately 700 airlines and over one million hotel properties globally, serving more than 17 million monthly active users. The partnership with Solana Foundation and Intebix represents a concrete step toward integrating blockchain-based payment rails into mainstream travel commerce. Rather than building a new payment system from scratch, the three parties intend to study how the existing Evo stablecoin infrastructure on Solana could interface with AirAsia MOVE’s booking engine.

Lim Ben-Jie, AirAsia MOVE’s Chief of People and Partnership Officer, stated that the initiative aligns with “the company’s interest in new travel commerce tools” and noted that Evo could “facilitate digital payments for travelers.” The phrasing suggests an exploratory rather than committed posture, with the Letter of Intent serving as a framework for feasibility assessment rather than a binding commercial agreement. Intebix will serve as the compliance partner, ensuring that any payment flows using the tenge-linked Evo token adhere to Kazakhstan’s evolving digital asset regulatory framework.

Kazakhstan’s Growing Role in Digital Asset Regulation

The pilot program takes shape against the backdrop of Kazakhstan’s expanding engagement with cryptocurrency markets. The Astana International Financial Centre began licensing crypto exchanges and custodians in 2023, positioning the country as one of the more structured regulatory environments in Central Asia. In March 2026, Kazakhstan’s central bank disclosed approximately 350 million dollars in cryptocurrency and digital asset investments, signaling institutional comfort with digital assets at the sovereign level.

The tenge-linked Evo stablecoin represents a relatively uncommon class of non-dollar-pegged stable assets. While USDT and USDC dominate global stablecoin volume, local-currency stablecoins have gained attention as potential tools for reducing foreign exchange friction in domestic markets. A tenge-pegged token used for travel bookings could theoretically allow Kazakh travelers to avoid double conversion fees that typically accompany dollar-denominated crypto payments.

Solana’s Infrastructure Advantage in Payment Applications

Solana’s selection as the underlying blockchain reflects the network’s positioning as a high-throughput, low-cost settlement layer. Transaction finality on Solana typically occurs in under one second with fees measured in fractions of a cent, characteristics that matter for payment applications where users expect near-instant confirmation. The Solana Foundation has pursued multiple real-world payment integrations over the past year, including partnerships with Visa and Shopify for stablecoin settlement, making the AirAsia MOVE pilot consistent with a broader strategic direction.

The technical study will examine payment speeds, settlement processes, and how the Evo token operates within Solana’s architecture. Whether the pilot progresses to a live commercial deployment will depend on the feasibility findings and any adjustments required to meet Kazakhstan’s regulatory requirements for consumer-facing digital payment products.

Risks and Uncertainties

Several factors could limit the initiative’s progress beyond the study phase. Letters of Intent are non-binding and frequently do not advance to commercial deployment. The regulatory landscape for stablecoins linked to emerging-market currencies remains underdeveloped compared to dollar-backed equivalents, and the Kazakh central bank has not publicly endorsed tenge-pegged stablecoins for consumer payments. AirAsia MOVE’s core user base is concentrated in Southeast Asia rather than Central Asia, raising questions about the depth of travel demand from Kazakh users on the platform.

Additionally, local-currency stablecoins face liquidity challenges that dollar-pegged alternatives do not encounter. If Evo’s trading volume and market depth remain thin, the practical advantages of blockchain-based payment rails could be offset by slippage and redemption friction. The broader stablecoin regulatory environment is also in flux globally, with jurisdictions including the European Union, United States, and several Asian markets actively developing or revising oversight frameworks that could affect cross-border stablecoin usage.

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