Photo: Arystun
Arystun, a P2P platform for safely trading in-game items (skins) in Counter-Strike 2, has launched in Kazakhstan. The service went live on September 29, 2026. According to the company, by early November it had 148 registered users, more than 100 completed trades and 11 users who had made advance payments. raem.kz spoke with Arystun founder and CEO Valery Tsoy about how the platform works and why earning players’ trust is its biggest priority right now.
What is Arystun?
Skins change the appearance of weapons and equipment in CS2, and players buy, sell and trade them with one another. Arystun acts as a storefront: a buyer chooses a skin, and the service automatically checks the item through Steam Trade Offer and guides the transaction so the seller gets paid and the buyer receives the item.
Users top up their balances through Kaspi Pay. According to the company, withdrawals will be available to the account holder’s payment details after verification; this feature is still in development. The main website is arystun.com, while the Kazakh-language version is arystun.kz. The project’s legal entity is GAME ASSET HOLDINGS LLP, based in Almaty.
Screenshot of the Arystun website with a dark background, a large heading and orange buttons. · Screenshot: Arystun
Who is behind the project?
Valery Tsoy has worked in finance, manufacturing and IT for almost 20 years and has a degree in finance. He is also currently CFO of the ALTEZZA group, which supplies industrial equipment and provides engineering services. Over the past five years, he has worked on startup teams ranging from a crypto exchange to game development. Arystun’s CTO is Akylbek Bolatkhan.
The project is funded by the founder’s own money. It has no external investment yet, but Tsoy says the team would be happy to consider offers from investors.
Valeriy Tsoy, founder and CEO of Arystun · Photo: Arystun
Akylbek Bolatkhan, CTO of Arystun · Photo: Arystun
Trust comes first
Tsoy says earning customers’ trust is the biggest challenge right now: players need to believe that trades will be fair. “I don’t think there’s a one-size-fits-all solution here. Only time and honesty will earn that trust,” he says.
The team presented the project at the AI & Digital Bridge forum. According to the founder, the most valuable part was getting feedback on the idea itself. “We were able to let people know that Kazakhstan’s market now has its own solution for safely trading in-game items,” Tsoy says.
P2P transaction interface showing item transfer and funds holding stages. · Screenshot: Arystun
Plans for the year ahead
Over the next year, Arystun aims to grow its user base and establish itself in Kazakhstan’s market. On the technology side, it plans to launch an auction system and add games beyond CS2.
The team is looking for partners as well as players: payment systems, game development projects, gaming cafés and gaming communities. The service has no referral programme, but the founder says Arystun is preparing promotions with vouchers and welcome bonuses.
Trading platform interface displaying CS2 knife, weapon and glove skins with prices in tenge. · Screenshot: Arystun
