WORLDTECHKazakhstan’s AIFC court bars Coinbase, BingX and four other exchanges from unlicensed operations
What happened
The exception is if they obtain explicit authorization from the Astana Financial Services Authority (AFSA), the financial regulator for the AIFC. Kazakhstan's regulatory crackdown on unlicensed crypto exchanges could consolidate market power among licensed operators, limiting user options.
Nine other crypto platforms voluntarily restricted app access in Kazakhstan, prompting the regulator to withdraw its claims against them. 20, 2026 Kazakhstan just gave six crypto platforms a choice: get licensed or get out.
The Astana International Financial Centre (AIFC) Court of First Instance has barred Coinbase , BingX, Bitcoin .com, HTX (formerly Huobi Global), BitMart and WEEX from offering or marketing digital asset services in the country without permission from local regulators. Nine other crypto platforms saw where this was heading and quietly locked their apps for Kazakh users. Coinbase is a Bitcoin and cryptocurrency company based in San Francisco.
That move persuaded the regulator to drop its claims against them. What the court actually ordered The AIFC court issued a default judgment on September 15, 2026.
A default judgment is a ruling made without the defendants mounting a defense in court. In other words, the platforms did not show up to argue their side.
The order prohibits the six operators from providing or promoting digital asset services to users in Kazakhstan or within the AIFC.