Kazakhstan’s Astana Financial Services Authority secured court orders preventing Coinbase and five other crypto platforms from providing unauthorized services within the Astana International Financial Centre. The AIFC crypto restrictions apply only to the financial center and users located there, not across Kazakhstan.
Key Takeaways
- The injunctions cover Coinbase, BingX, Bitcoin.com, Huobi Global (HTX), BitMart and WEEX.
- LBank was removed from the proceedings on Sept. 18 after addressing the regulator’s concerns.
- Google and Apple are bound by the order, but the court declined to issue separate injunctions against them.
Table of Contents
- AIFC crypto restrictions have a defined geographic scope
- LBank removed as app-store obligations remain in focus
- Enforcement followed warnings issued in 2025
- Conclusion
AIFC crypto restrictions have a defined geographic scope
The orders bar the six platforms from offering or marketing unlicensed digital asset services within the center. They also prohibit distribution of mobile apps for those services there.
In a Sept. 15 judgment, Justice Sir Stephen Richards limited the injunctions to the AIFC and users located within it. The financial hub, based in Kazakhstan’s capital, has its own legal framework and regulator and requires crypto businesses to obtain authorization to serve its market.
The court entered judgment by default because the platform operators did not respond within the required period.
LBank removed as app-store obligations remain in focus
LBank was initially included in the proceedings but was removed on Sept. 18 after resolving AFSA’s concerns. According to the regulator, the platform blocked access to its services in Kazakhstan.
That platform-level response was broader geographically than the court injunctions. The orders themselves do not constitute a nationwide ban.
Although the order also binds Apple and Google as app-store operators, the court declined to grant a separate injunction against either company. It said AFSA should first discuss the necessary steps with them.
Enforcement followed warnings issued in 2025
AFSA said its enforcement campaign began with warnings to more than 20 crypto platforms in 2025, followed by court proceedings in early 2026.
Coinbase previously encountered restrictions in Kazakhstan in 2023, when authorities blocked its website over alleged breaches of the country’s digital asset law.
Conclusion
The court action restricts unlicensed crypto services within the AIFC’s jurisdiction. Its limited scope is central: the injunctions against the six platforms are not a Kazakhstan-wide prohibition.
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