Kazakhstan court bars Coinbase, five others from unlicensed crypto services in Astana International Financial Centre

Kazakhstan’s financial regulator secured court orders restricting Coinbase and five other crypto platforms from offering services without authorization in the Astana International Financial Centre (AIFC).

The Astana Financial Services Authority (AFSA) said that the injunctions cover BingX, Bitcoin.com, Huobi Global (HTX), BitMart, Coinbase and WEEX. The orders prohibit the platforms from offering or marketing unlicensed digital asset services and distributing mobile apps for those services within the center.

The restrictions do not amount to a nationwide ban. In a Sept. 15 judgment, Justice Sir Stephen Richards said the injunctions apply only to the AIFC and users located there.

The Astana International Financial Centre is a financial hub in Kazakhstan’s capital that operates under its own legal framework and regulator. It requires crypto firms to obtain a license to offer services within the center.

The order also binds Google and Apple as app-store operators, though the court declined to issue a separate injunction against them, saying AFSA should first discuss necessary steps with the firms.

LBank was named in the initial proceedings, and was removed on Sept. 18 after addressing AFSA’s concerns. The regulator said the platform blocked access to its services in Kazakhstan.