On 4 April in Astana, at Maqsut Narikbayev University, the International Legathon “MaxUP” 2026 – a student forum and case competition on the theme of “The Law of the Future” – came to a close. For the first time in the competition’s history, teams from 13 countries around the world were invited to take part. The Kazakh Agency for International Development KazAID is a partner of the event.

Representatives from Azerbaijan, Germany, Georgia, India, Kazakhstan, Canada, China, Kyrgyzstan, Malaysia, Russia, Romania, Uzbekistan and Sri Lanka took part in the competition. For the first time in Legathon’s history, two parallel leagues were organised – in Russian and English languages– which significantly broadened the geographical scope of participants. Over 90 students from 23 teams explored the impact of technology on law, ethics and human rights as part of the Year of Digitalisation and Artificial Intelligence.

The central theme of the championship was the legal regulation of digital technologies: participants developed solutions regarding AI in healthcare, the protection of rights in the online space, combating digital discrimination, autonomous transport and the metaverse. The first stage of the “Lex Fantastica” debates took place at the Astana International Financial Centre Court, with the second stage and the final held at MNU. The teams’ proposals will be drafted into regulatory documents for law-making.

KazAID supports the event as a platform of international exchange of expertise among young professionals in the fields of law and high technology – in line with the agency’s priorities for promoting human capital development in partner countries.

At the conclusion of the competition, the top teams in the Russian-language league were those from Al-Farabi Kazakh National University (Kazakhstan), Maqsut Narikbayev University (Kazakhstan) and the V.F. Yakovlev Ural State Law University (Russia), whilst in the English-speaking league, the best results were achieved by students from the University of Malaya (Malaysia), the Romanian-American University (Romania) and McGill University (Canada). The winner of the competition was the team from Malaysia’s leading and most prestigious university – the University of Malaya.

Background information

The Kazakh Agency of International Development “KazAID” is an official development assistance (ODA) operator established by the Government of Kazakhstan in 2020. The agency’s mission is to implement state policy in the field of ODA, promoting development and sustainable growth in partner countries, showcasing Kazakhstan’s achievements in various fields, and facilitating the exchange of experience and the establishment of contacts between specialists from different countries.

International Legathon “MaxUP” – an annual student forum and case competition on the legal challenges of the digital age, held since 2025. In 2026, it expanded international participation to 13 countries with the introduction of a bilingual format.

Maqsut Narikbayev University (MNU) is a leading private university in Kazakhstan specialising in legal and economic education. It is actively developing international academic cooperation.

Media contacts: a.kopisheva@kazaid.kz

Source : https://www.gov.kz/memleket/entities/kazaid/press/news/details/1195904?lang=kk