A plain-English beginner’s guide: what NYSE and NASDAQ are, the main types of securities, and how stocks differ from bonds and ETFs. We walk step by step through opening a brokerage account and getting access to US exchanges in 2026 — including when access is restricted because of your country of residence.
To start investing on the NYSE and NASDAQ, you need three things: a brokerage account with a licensed broker that has access to US exchanges, money in that account, and a grasp of the basic instruments. The big catch in 2026 is that trading access depends on where the investor lives, and for residents of some countries it’s closed outright. The legal solution is Kazakhstan’s digital residency (eResidency), which opens the way to a brokerage account through the program’s partners regardless of citizenship.
The NYSE (New York Stock Exchange) and NASDAQ are both in New York and are the world’s two largest stock exchanges by the market cap of the companies listed on them.
The NYSE has been around since 1792 and is the symbol of the classic stock market. It lists giants like Coca-Cola, Johnson & Johnson, Visa, McDonald's, and roughly two thousand other companies.
NASDAQ launched in 1971 as the world’s first fully electronic exchange. Over time it became home to the tech sector: Apple, Microsoft, NVIDIA, Alphabet (Google), Amazon, Tesla, and Meta are all listed there.
For an individual investor, the difference between the two doesn’t really matter: both are regulated by the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), and you buy shares through the same broker in the same app.
A security gives its owner certain rights: to a share of a business, to getting a loan repaid with interest, or to a slice of a portfolio of assets. On US exchanges, individual investors mostly work with three types of instruments.
Stocks give you a stake in a company. You can make money two ways: when the price goes up, and through dividends, which some companies pay shareholders regularly. The potential return is higher than with other instruments, but so are the price swings.
Bonds work like an IOU: you lend money to a government or a company and get a fixed interest rate (the coupon), and at the end of the term you get the face value back. The return is lower but more predictable.
ETFs (exchange-traded funds) let you invest in a whole basket of assets with a single purchase. For example, an S&P 500 index fund holds shares of the 500 largest US companies. For beginners, it’s the easiest way to diversify.
US exchanges aren’t open to everyone. Brokers have to follow sanctions and compliance rules, so for residents of some countries access to US securities is restricted: account applications get rejected, and existing accounts face limits on deposits and trading.
But digital residents of Kazakhstan, regardless of citizenship*, get access to the world’s leading stock exchanges through eResidency program partners. E-resident status includes an IIN (Kazakhstan identification number) and a digital ID card, which let you pass a Kazakhstan broker’s checks remotely.
For example, Freedom lets customers who have received Republic of Kazakhstan digital residency open a brokerage account in the Freedom Banker or Freedom Broker app. From there, investors can buy stocks, bonds, and ETFs on the NYSE and NASDAQ, as well as on Kazakhstan’s KASE exchange.
* Except citizens and residents of countries on the FATF blacklist (Iran, North Korea, Myanmar).
This is the foundation of the whole setup: without an IIN, a Kazakhstan broker won’t open an account for a foreigner. You apply fully online through the government eResidency program; it takes about 30 minutes and costs from $49, one time. All you need is a biometric passport with an NFC chip and a smartphone. We cover it in detail in a separate article: how foreigners can get a Kazakhstan IIN online.
With e-resident status, you can open a Freedom Bank account remotely, without visiting a branch. A multi-currency account with an international card is useful on its own, and in this setup it’s also how you’ll fund your brokerage account.
Freedom Bank customers open a brokerage account right in the Freedom Banker or Freedom Broker app. It’s all online: a questionnaire, confirming your details, and signing the documents.
You fund it with a transfer from your bank account in a couple of taps. After that, the classic beginner rules apply: invest only money you can spare, start small, and don’t put everything into one stock.
Trades happen in the same app: search for a ticker, enter the number of shares, confirm. You’ll also see quotes, your transaction history, and portfolio performance there. Beginners are usually advised to buy regularly in equal amounts — it smooths out market swings and removes the temptation to time the market.
The Kazakhstan route operates in a regulated environment. Brokerage activity is licensed and supervised by Kazakhstan’s financial regulators, including the Astana International Financial Centre (AIFC) jurisdiction, which runs on English law. The eResidency program itself is an official government initiative; primary source: eresidency.gov.kz. Client accounts are segregated from the broker’s assets, and reporting is independently audited.
Investing isn’t a savings deposit: stock and ETF prices can fall, and no exchange guarantees returns. Besides market risk, keep in mind currency risk (the dollar versus your home currency) and fees: the broker’s commission per trade, possible currency conversion fees, and taxes on income, which depend on your tax residency. Before you start, it’s worth checking the broker’s fee schedule and your country’s tax rules. This article is for informational purposes only and isn’t personalized investment advice.
In 2026, you can invest on the NYSE and NASDAQ from most countries in the world, even if direct access is restricted where you live. The sequence that works: Kazakhstan e-resident status with an IIN, a Freedom Bank account, a brokerage account in the Freedom Banker or Freedom Broker app, a deposit, and a first portfolio of ETFs, bonds, and stocks. The first step takes about 30 minutes and costs from $49.
Leave your email and we’ll send you step-by-step instructions and a link to download the official eResidency app.
Get started from $49