Kazakhstan’s Astana International Financial Centre Court has issued injunctions against six cryptocurrency platforms, including Coinbase and BingX for carrying out unlicensed activity. Summary Kazakhstan’s AIFC Court has issued injunctions against Coinbase, BingX, HTX, BitMart, Bitcoin.com and WEEX for offering digital asset services without the required authorization. Google and Apple have been brought under the court order, with the regulator preparing to enforce geographic restrictions on the six platforms’ mobile applications. LBank was initially named in the proceedings but was removed from the injunctions after independently restricting access to its services in Kazakhstan. AFSA said nine other crypto platforms voluntarily restricted their applications, while seven expressed interest in obtaining regulatory licenses. According to the Astana Financial Services Authority (AFSA), the court issued its original judgment on Sept. 15 against the operators of BingX, Bitcoin.com, Huobi Global (HTX), BitMart, Coinbase, LBank and WEEX after the regulator initiated legal proceedings over their unlicensed activities. However, LBank was subsequently removed from the order after its operator independently restricted access to its services in Kazakhstan. The court amended its judgment on Sept. 18, leaving six platforms subject to the injunctions. The restrictions cover providing, offering and advertising digital asset services within the AIFC without the required license, along with distributing mobile applications intended to provide those services. Google and Apple have been brought within the scope of the court order as app store operators, with AFSA preparing to send the relevant documents to both companies to enforce geographic access restrictions. Google and Apple ordered to restrict crypto apps The six platform operators are also prohibited from providing unauthorized digital asset services within the AIFC or to users located in its territory. Alongside restricting trading services, the court has prohibited the platforms from advertising their offerings and distributing mobile applications through app stores without the required authorization. The six operators will also have to pay approximately 1.995 million Kazakhstani tenge in legal costs and court fees. AFSA did not disclose whether the six platforms have ceased all operations across Kazakhstan, and the court’s restrictions specifically concern unauthorized services within the AIFC and access through the relevant application stores. AFSA began warning unlicensed crypto platforms in 2025 According to AFSA chief executive Evgeniya Bogdanova, the injunctions were issued after a lengthy enforcement process that began with written warnings to cryptocurrency companies dating back to 2025. The regulator contacted more than 20 platforms during that period to explain the licensing requirements applicable to digital asset services and inform operators about the restrictions on advertising and serving customers without authorization, per Bogdanova. However, when some platforms continued operating without the necessary permission, AFSA took the matter to the AIFC Court in early 2026. “This Court decision is the result of extensive and consistent efforts by AFSA’s Supervision and Enforcement teams,” Bogdanova added. During the enforcement process, nine platforms voluntarily restricted access to their applications in Kazakhstan through Google Play and Apple’s App Store, prompting AFSA to withdraw its claims against those operators. Another seven platforms informed the regulator that they intended to obtain licenses to operate digital asset trading facilities. AFSA did not identify those applicants in the announcement or confirm whether any had subsequently received authorization. The regulator’s concerns were not limited to whether exchanges had obtained permission to operate. In its judgment, the court addressed the compliance obligations that licensed businesses must meet, including customer identification, anti-money laundering controls, counterterrorist financing measures and ongoing regulatory supervision. Licensed operators incur costs to meet those requirements, while companies offering comparable services without authorization can avoid the same regulatory expenses, according to the court. AFSA has also warned that customers using unlicensed platforms do not receive the safeguards required of licensed firms, including protections concerning asset custody, information disclosure, complaint handling and dispute resolution. The authority has been working with the National Bank of Kazakhstan since May 2026 to address unauthorized activity in the digital asset industry. Kazakhstan has already blocked more than 1,100 crypto platforms Kazakhstan’s latest court action follows a series of measures taken by national authorities to crack down on cryptocurrency platforms operating without the required licenses. In January 2026, it was reported that Kazakhstan had blocked access to more than 1,100 unlicensed cryptocurrency exchange platforms over the past year. Efforts to clamp down on unlicensed cryptocurrency businesses have involved several national financial authorities, with enforcement measures targeting illegal over the counter trading operations and platforms suspected of facilitating financial crimes. In April, AFSA turned its attention to several well known cryptocurrency exchanges, naming HTX, OKX, Bitget and MEXC in an April 29 warning that reminded operators of the need to obtain regulatory approval before offering digital asset services in the country. Users who want to check whether a cryptocurrency business is authorized to operate under the AIFC framework can consult AFSA’s public register, which lists licensed companies and the digital asset services they have permission to provide.
