Kazakhstan's AIFC Court Bars Coinbase and Five Exchanges
A default judgment in Astana restricts six crypto platforms inside the AIFC. It is a narrow, jurisdiction-bound order, not a national ban.
The AIFC Court's default judgment against Coinbase and five other exchanges is a jurisdictional signal, not a nationwide ban. The injunctions, sought by the Astana Financial Services Authority, bar unlicensed digital asset services and app distribution inside the Astana International Financial Centre only, leaving open how the regulator will enforce against absent defendants.
The Ledger Desk · 3 min read- The AIFC Court issued injunctions on September 15, 2026 against BingX, Bitcoin.com, HTX, BitMart, Coinbase and WEEX, as reported by CoinDesk on October 20.
- The order applies only inside the AIFC and to users located there; it is not a countrywide prohibition.
- It was a default judgment: the operators did not respond within the required period.
- LBank was dropped from the order on September 18 after it reportedly addressed the regulator's concerns and blocked access in Kazakhstan.
- The court declined a separate injunction against Google and Apple and said the regulator should first discuss steps with them, so app-store enforcement is unresolved.
A court inside Kazakhstan's Astana International Financial Centre has barred six crypto platforms, Coinbase among them, from offering or marketing unlicensed digital asset services there. CoinDesk reported on October 20, 2026 that the judgment dates from September 15. The order is territorially narrow, but it shows how a financial-centre regulator can use civil injunctions against offshore exchanges that never applied for a licence.
What the court actually ordered
According to CoinDesk, the AIFC Court enjoined BingX, Bitcoin.com, Huobi Global (HTX), BitMart, Coinbase and WEEX from offering or marketing unlicensed digital asset services within the centre, and from distributing mobile apps for those services there. The case was brought by the Astana Financial Services Authority. The injunctions apply only to the AIFC and users located there, so the order restricts a defined jurisdiction rather than the whole country.
Why a default judgment matters
The court entered a default judgment because, CoinDesk reports, the operators did not respond within the required period. That means the order was not tested by a contested hearing, and the platforms have not publicly argued that they fall outside the centre's licensing perimeter. The practical incentive is clear: ignoring the process can be cheaper than engaging it, but it leaves a binding order on the record.
The app-store gap in enforcement
Enforcement against distribution channels is unresolved. CoinDesk reports the court declined a separate injunction against Google and Apple as app-store operators and said the regulator should first discuss necessary steps with them. An injunction against an exchange is only as effective as the access points that deliver it, so how the app stores respond is the mechanism to watch.
A pattern of escalating pressure
CoinDesk reports the regulator began its enforcement effort in 2025 with warnings to more than 20 crypto platforms, followed by court proceedings in early 2026. LBank was named initially but removed on September 18 after it reportedly addressed the regulator's concerns and blocked access in Kazakhstan. Coinbase had already been blocked in 2023, when authorities blocked its website citing the digital asset law, according to Blockchain.News.
What compliance teams should take from it
Platforms serving Central Asian users should map where a licensing perimeter, such as a financial centre, sits inside a larger state, because geo-blocking at the national level may not match the legal boundary. The LBank outcome suggests that engaging early and restricting access can end a case, while silence produces a default order. Remaining questions are enforcement against non-responding defendants and app-store cooperation.
- Is Coinbase banned across all of Kazakhstan after this ruling?
- No. CoinDesk reports the injunctions apply only to the Astana International Financial Centre and users located there. Separately, Kazakh authorities blocked Coinbase's website in 2023 under the country's digital asset law, as reported by blockchain.news.
- Why did the court enter a default judgment?
- According to CoinDesk, the operators did not respond within the required period, so the court ruled without a contested hearing.
- Are Google and Apple bound by the order?
- CoinDesk reports they are bound as app-store operators, but the court declined a separate injunction against them and said the Astana Financial Services Authority should first discuss necessary steps with them.