Kazakhstan court orders curbs on Coinbase, BingX and four other crypto platforms
In brief
- AIFC court barred six platforms from offering unlicensed digital-asset services, according to AFSA.
- Coinbase, BingX, Bitcoin.com, Huobi Global (HTX), BitMart and WEEX are the named firms.
- LBank was removed from the order after blocking access in Kazakhstan.
- Apple and Google are covered as app-store operators under geographic restrictions.
- AFSA dropped claims against nine platforms that voluntarily restricted app access.
Who the order covers
The Sept. 15 order named seven operators: BingX, Bitcoin.com, Huobi Global (HTX), BitMart, Coinbase, LBank and WEEX. That list didn't hold for long. An amendment three days later removed LBank after its operator blocked access in Kazakhstan, according to AFSA's announcement.
AFSA said on Tuesday that the court issued the injunctions after the regulator sued the operators for offering digital-asset services without authorization. Unlicensed operation is the regulator's allegation (backed now by the court's injunction), and Cointelegraph said BingX, Coinbase and Huobi Global didn't immediately respond to its requests for comment.
The restrictions don't stop at the exchanges themselves. Google and Apple are also covered as app-store operators, according to AFSA, with geographic restrictions on access to the remaining platforms.
Nine platforms stepped back first
AFSA said it warned more than 20 platforms about AIFC rules in 2025. Nine of them voluntarily restricted app access in Kazakhstan, and seven said they intended to seek licenses, per the regulator. AFSA withdrew its claims against those nine.
The injunctions will be enforced against the remaining six.
The regulator's case rests on user protection. AFSA said users of unlicensed platforms lack safeguards required of licensed firms, including asset protection, disclosure, complaints handling and dispute resolution.
“This court decision is the result of extensive and consistent efforts by AFSA’s Supervision and Enforcement teams to address the activities of unlicensed crypto platforms that were advertising without authorization and offering digital asset-related services in Kazakhstan without the required permission,” said AFSA CEO Evgeniya Bogdanova.
Part of a longer crackdown
The AIFC court's reach has limits. Kazakhstan's National Bank oversees digital-asset service providers outside the AIFC, so it's a separate regulator covering the rest of the country's market.
It isn't the first time Kazakhstan has moved against offshore exchanges, either. Cointelegraph previously reported that the country's Financial Monitoring Agency blocked access in 2023 to almost 1,000 crypto exchanges that were serving Kazakh citizens without proper registration.
Frequently asked questions
Which crypto platforms are covered by the Kazakhstan AIFC court order?
The Sept. 15 order named BingX, Bitcoin.com, Huobi Global (HTX), BitMart, Coinbase, LBank and WEEX, according to AFSA's announcement. An amendment three days later removed LBank after its operator blocked access in Kazakhstan, leaving six platforms covered.
Why did AFSA withdraw claims against nine crypto platforms?
AFSA said it warned more than 20 platforms about AIFC rules in 2025. Nine voluntarily restricted app access in Kazakhstan and seven said they intended to seek licenses, according to the regulator. AFSA withdrew its claims against the nine, while the injunctions will be enforced against the remaining six.
How do the restrictions affect Apple and Google app stores?
According to the AFSA announcement, Google and Apple are covered by the order as app-store operators. The order applies geographic restrictions on access to the remaining platforms in the AIFC's jurisdiction.
