Kazakhstan Court Bars Coinbase, BingX and Four Other Exchanges From Unlicensed Crypto Services

Published October 20, 2026, 10:05 PM PKT. Based on the Astana Financial Services Authority's announcement of October 20, 2026 (primary source), with reporting from Cointelegraph, crypto.news, CoinDesk, CoinOTAG, basisdesk.news and cryptured.com (secondary sources).

Kazakhstan's Astana International Financial Centre Court has barred six cryptocurrency platforms, including Coinbase and BingX, from offering digital-asset services without a license in its jurisdiction, the Astana Financial Services Authority (AFSA) disclosed on October 20, 2026. The default injunctions target the operators of BingX, Bitcoin.com, Huobi Global (HTX), BitMart, Coinbase and WEEX, and they extend to Google and Apple as app-store operators, with the regulator preparing to enforce geographic restrictions on the six platforms' mobile applications.

The September 15 injunctions

The court issued its original judgment on September 15, 2026, after AFSA took the operators to court over unlicensed activity, and amended it three days later, according to the authority's announcement. The original order named seven operators, but LBank was removed on September 18 after it independently restricted access to its services in Kazakhstan. The six remaining operators are prohibited from providing, offering or advertising digital-asset services within the AIFC without the required authorization, and from distributing mobile applications intended to provide those services. The judgment was a default ruling because the six platforms did not contest the case, and the operators were ordered jointly to pay approximately 1.995 million Kazakhstani tenge in legal costs. Cointelegraph reported that its requests for comment from BingX, Coinbase and Huobi Global were not immediately answered.

Apple and Google drawn in

The unusual reach of the order is its application to the app stores. Google and Apple are covered as app-store operators, with geographic restrictions on access to the six platforms' applications, and AFSA said it is preparing to send the relevant documents to both companies to enforce the limits. The enforcement lever matters because blocking a website can be reversed in minutes, while removing an application from the App Store and Google Play in a geography cuts the main retail on-ramp, according to reporting on the order. The scope is not a countrywide crypto ban: the AIFC is a distinct jurisdiction, and the court restrictions concern unauthorized services within the AIFC and access through the relevant app stores. The National Bank of Kazakhstan oversees digital-asset service providers operating outside the AIFC.

Two years of warnings

AFSA said the case followed a lengthy enforcement process. The regulator sent written warnings to more than 20 platforms dating back to 2025 to explain the AIFC's licensing requirements and the restrictions on advertising and serving customers without authorization, then took the matter to the AIFC Court in early 2026 when some platforms continued operating without permission. During the 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, while seven other platforms told the regulator they intended to seek licenses to operate digital asset trading facilities, the authority said. "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 chief executive Evgeniya Bogdanova.

The risk to users

AFSA warned that users of unlicensed platforms do not receive the safeguards required of licensed firms, including protections for asset custody, information disclosure, complaints handling and dispute resolution. 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. The court found that unauthorized operations undermine the AIFC regime and generate unfair competition, because licensed firms bear the costs of those compliance controls while unlicensed operators can avoid them. Users can check whether a cryptocurrency business is authorized under the AIFC framework through AFSA's public register of licensed companies and the digital asset services they are permitted to provide.

Part of a wider crackdown

The court action fits a broader campaign by Kazakh authorities against unlicensed crypto businesses. In January 2026, national authorities were reported to have blocked access to more than 1,100 unlicensed cryptocurrency exchange platforms over the preceding year, and the Financial Monitoring Agency had previously blocked almost 1,000 crypto exchanges in 2023 for serving citizens without proper registration. In April 2026, AFSA named HTX, OKX, Bitget and MEXC in a warning reminding operators of the need for regulatory approval before offering digital asset services in the country. AFSA has worked with the National Bank of Kazakhstan since May 2026 to address unauthorized activity in the digital asset industry. The authority has not disclosed whether the six platforms have ceased all operations across Kazakhstan, and it has not confirmed that Google and Apple have implemented the geographic restrictions.

This article is news reporting and is not investment advice.

Sources

• Astana Financial Services Authority (AFSA), announcement of October 20, 2026 (via afsa.aifc.kz), primary source: default injunction issued by the AIFC Court on September 15, 2026, amended September 18, against the operators of BingX, Bitcoin.com, Huobi Global (HTX), BitMart, Coinbase and WEEX over unlicensed digital-asset services; LBank removed after blocking Kazakh users; geographic restrictions to be enforced on the six apps via Google and Apple; approximately 1.995 million tenge in costs; written warnings to more than 20 platforms since 2025; nine platforms voluntarily restricted apps; seven intend to seek licenses; quote from CEO Evgeniya Bogdanova
• Cointelegraph, October 20, 2026, secondary source: order covers six platforms and extends to app stores; comment requests to BingX, Coinbase and Huobi Global unanswered; 2023 Financial Monitoring Agency action blocking almost 1,000 exchanges
• crypto.news, October 20, 2026, secondary source: AFSA preparing to send documents to Google and Apple; warning-process timeline; April 29, 2026 warning naming HTX, OKX, Bitget and MEXC; 1,100-plus platforms blocked in the year to January 2026
• CoinDesk, October 20, 2026, secondary source: ruling underscores commitment to regulating crypto within the AIFC special economic zone
• CoinOTAG, October 20, 2026, secondary source: injunctions concern unauthorized services within the AIFC, not a blanket national crypto ban
• basisdesk.news, October 20, 2026, secondary source: app-store directives and cross-agency oversight with the National Bank of Kazakhstan
• cryptured.com, October 20, 2026, secondary source: September 15/18 judgment dates; implementation of app-store restrictions not confirmed; AFSA public register of licensed firms