Kazakhstan Orders Apple and Google to Block Coinbase and 5 Crypto Platforms
October 20, 2026
Kazakhstan Turns Up the Pressure on Unlicensed Exchanges
Kazakhstan has taken one of its toughest steps yet against crypto platforms operating without permission. A court in the country’s financial hub has banned six platforms, including Coinbase, from offering digital asset services there without a licence. The order also reaches beyond the exchanges themselves. Apple and Google, which run the two main app stores, have been told to restrict access to the platforms’ apps, according to an announcement from the Astana Financial Services Authority (AFSA), the regulator that brought the case.Which Platforms Were Named
The injunctions were issued by the Astana International Financial Centre (AIFC) Court, which granted AFSA’s claims on September 15. The platforms now covered are BingX, Bitcoin.com, Huobi Global (HTX), BitMart, Coinbase and WEEX. The original order named seven platforms. Three days later, the court amended it to remove LBank, after its operator blocked access for users in Kazakhstan. The remaining six are barred from offering or advertising digital asset services in the AIFC without a licence, and from distributing their apps for that purpose. Cointelegraph reported the ruling on Tuesday. Cointelegraph said it sent requests for comment to BingX, Coinbase and Huobi Global, but they did not respond immediately.
A Campaign That Started With Warnings
The court case did not come out of nowhere. AFSA says it warned more than 20 platforms about AIFC rules during 2025, then began court proceedings in early 2026. Many firms chose to comply rather than fight. Nine platforms voluntarily restricted access in Kazakhstan, and AFSA withdrew its claims against them. Seven others said they intend to apply for a licence. AFSA CEO Evgeniya Bogdanova said the decision followed “extensive and consistent efforts by AFSA’s Supervision and Enforcement teams” to deal with unlicensed platforms advertising and offering services in the country. In its reasoning, the court said that unauthorised activity undermines the integrity of the AIFC’s rules and creates unfair competition for licensed firms, which carry the cost of anti-money laundering checks and supervision.What a Crypto Licence Actually Protects
For beginners, the word “licence” can sound like paperwork. In practice, it decides what happens to a customer’s money when something goes wrong. A licensed exchange has to follow a regulator’s rules. That usually means keeping customer assets separate from the company’s own funds, clearly explaining fees and risks, handling complaints, and offering a way to settle disputes. The regulator can inspect the firm and step in if it breaks those rules. An unlicensed platform does not answer to that local regulator. AFSA warned that clients of such platforms lack protections like asset safeguarding, disclosures, complaints handling and dispute resolution. If a problem arises, a user in Kazakhstan may have no local body to turn to. This is one reason many users check a platform’s licences before choosing where to trade, and keep long-term holdings in a crypto wallet they control.Two Regulators, One Country
Kazakhstan runs crypto oversight on two tracks. The AIFC, a special financial zone in Astana, regulates firms that operate under its jurisdiction through AFSA. Outside the AIFC, the National Bank of Kazakhstan oversees crypto. A new digital assets law came into force on May 1, 2026, and the National Bank now licenses crypto exchanges and other providers operating beyond the financial centre. AFSA says it has worked with the National Bank on unlicensed platforms since May. The country has a long enforcement record. In 2023, its Financial Monitoring Agency blocked access to almost 1,000 unregistered crypto exchanges serving local users.What Could Happen Next
The key question is how the six platforms respond. Some may follow LBank’s lead and block users in Kazakhstan, which appears to be the fastest way out of the order. Others may apply for a licence, as seven platforms have already said they plan to do. The app store part of the order could prove the most effective. Most people reach exchanges through a phone app, so removing those apps may cut off casual users even if websites remain reachable through other means. Other regulators may also be watching. Pressing app stores, rather than chasing each exchange, gives authorities a single point of control, and similar tactics could appear elsewhere if Kazakhstan’s approach succeeds. Traders following the latest crypto news will be watching for similar moves in other markets.Licensing Becomes the Price of Entry
The ruling shows how global crypto is fragmenting along national lines. A platform as large as Coinbase can now be shut out of a market not because of a hack or a collapse, but because it lacks the right local permission. For exchanges, the message is that reach in one country no longer guarantees access in another. For users, it means the platform they use may depend on where they live, and that licences increasingly decide which services survive in each market. Kazakhstan’s approach suggests regulators are no longer content to issue warnings. Combining court orders with app store controls may mark a shift in how smaller markets enforce their rules, and how the six named platforms respond could shape whether others follow.
Share Article
Madiha Riaz
Madiha is a seasoned researcher in cryptocurrency, blockchain, and emerging Web3 technologies. With a background in organic chemistry and a sharp analytical mindset, she brings scientific depth to decentralized innovation. Since discovering crypto in 2017 and investing in 2018, she’s been uncovering and sharing deep insights into how blockchain is redefining the digital asset landscape.
