News linked to both this project and an event.
According to bits.media, Uzbekistan’s President Shavkat Mirziyoyev signed a decree establishing the Besqala Mining Valley Special Economic Zone in the Republic of Karakalpakstan. Miners operating within the zone will enjoy tax incentives, valid until January 1, 2035. The zone will be connected to a unified power system powered by renewable energy and hydrogen. Cryptographic assets mined within the zone may be sold or exchanged via domestic Uzbek exchanges or overseas platforms. Mining licenses will be issued by the State Agency for Perspective Projects. Currently, Uzbekistan mandates that cryptocurrency transactions be conducted exclusively through state-licensed service providers; peer-to-peer (P2P) transactions are explicitly prohibited by law, digital assets cannot be used for payment or settlement, and only legal entities are permitted to engage in mining activities. The country introduced its mining licensing regime in 2023, with the first license officially issued only at the end of February 2026.
According to Cointelegraph, Tempo—a payment-focused Layer-1 public blockchain backed by Stripe and Paradigm—recently launched its new “Zones” feature, enabling enterprises to conduct stablecoin transactions within permissioned environments while maintaining interoperability with public-chain liquidity. This functionality is primarily targeted at use cases such as payroll distribution, fund management, and B2B settlements. However, the feature has drawn criticism from industry observers due to its operator-centric design. Each Zone is controlled by a single operator who can view all transaction data and has the authority to suspend users’ transfer or withdrawal privileges in accordance with compliance requirements. Critics argue that this introduces a trust assumption akin to that of centralized exchanges, thereby deviating from blockchain’s core trustless principle.