A single court order just cut off six exchanges in Kazakhstan — Coinbase included. The country's court barred the platforms from serving local users without a licence, and ordered Apple and Google to restrict their apps as well.
Key points:
• 6 exchanges, including Coinbase and BingX, were barred from unlicensed services in Kazakhstan.
• The order also covers app-store access, not just websites.
• 9 platforms avoided the same fate by voluntarily restricting access.
The case sits at the Astana International Financial Centre court, brought by the Astana Financial Services Authority against platforms offering digital-asset services without authorisation. The September 15 order named seven exchanges — BingX, Bitcoin.com, Huobi Global (HTX), BitMart, Coinbase, LBank and WEEX — but LBank was dropped three days later after blocking Kazakhstan itself, leaving six.
AFSA's case is built on protection gaps: no asset safeguards, no clear disclosure duties and no dispute process for users of unlicensed platforms. The regulator warned over 20 platforms during 2025; nine restricted access voluntarily and had claims withdrawn, while seven more say they will seek licences. Kazakhstan also blocked almost 1,000 unregistered exchanges in 2023.
My view: enforcement through app stores changes the maths for offshore exchanges. A website can be reached with effort, but mainstream users live in apps. Losing app distribution in a market is close to losing the market.
Next to watch: whether Coinbase and the others apply for local licences, and whether app downloads and updates actually stop inside Kazakhstan.
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