Kazakhstan is tightening enforcement of its crypto licensing rules within the Astana International Financial Centre (AIFC), with court orders restricting Coinbase and five other digital asset platforms from offering services without authorization in the financial hub. The decision marks another step in a regulatory campaign aimed at bringing crypto-related businesses operating within the center under its licensing framework.
The Astana Financial Services Authority (AFSA) secured injunctions covering BingX, Bitcoin.com, Huobi Global (HTX), BitMart, Coinbase and WEEX. The orders prohibit the platforms from offering or marketing unauthorized digital asset services within the AIFC, as well as distributing mobile applications for those services in the center.
However, the ruling does not constitute a nationwide ban on the named platforms. In a judgment dated September 15, 2026, Justice Sir Stephen Richards clarified that the restrictions apply specifically to the AIFC and users located within its jurisdiction. The distinction is important because the financial center operates under its own legal framework and regulatory system, separate from Kazakhstan’s broader financial environment.
Under the AIFC framework, crypto firms must obtain the appropriate authorization before providing services within the center. The latest court action reinforces the regulator’s position that digital asset platforms cannot market or deliver covered services there without meeting the relevant licensing requirements.
The order also addresses the role of major app-store operators. Google and Apple are bound by aspects of the order, but the court declined to issue a separate injunction against either company. Instead, it said AFSA should first discuss the necessary steps with the firms, leaving further coordination between the regulator and the technology companies to be addressed.
LBank, which was initially included in the proceedings, was removed from the case on September 18 after addressing AFSA’s concerns. The regulator said the platform had blocked access to its services in Kazakhstan. Its removal illustrates that restrictions can be reconsidered when a platform takes steps to resolve the regulator’s concerns.
The proceedings followed a longer enforcement effort. AFSA said it began issuing warnings to more than 20 crypto platforms in 2025 before moving to court proceedings in early 2026. The court entered default judgment after the platform operators failed to respond within the required period. The supplied information does not establish that every platform was found to have committed the same conduct beyond the licensing issues addressed by the orders.
Coinbase has previously faced regulatory restrictions in Kazakhstan. In 2023, authorities blocked access to its website over alleged violations of the country’s digital asset law. The latest action, however, concerns services within the AIFC and should not be interpreted as evidence of a new nationwide prohibition.
The case highlights a broader challenge for international crypto platforms: operating across borders does not remove the need to comply with the rules of each jurisdiction in which services are offered. For exchanges and app distributors, the practical consequences will depend on how the injunctions are implemented and whether the affected platforms obtain authorization or restrict access within the AIFC. Coinbase and the other named platforms had not provided comments by the time of the supplied report.
