Coinbase, BingX and four other big crypto exchanges have been blocked by a Kazakhstan court from serving local users without a licence — and Apple and Google have been told to restrict their apps in the country too. For traders in Kazakhstan, that means access to some of the world's most-used platforms is now at risk unless those exchanges get licensed.
Key points:
• A Kazakhstan court has barred 6 exchanges, including Coinbase and BingX, from offering services without a licence.
• Apple and Google app stores are also covered, with geographic access restrictions ordered.
• Nine other platforms avoided the same order by voluntarily restricting access in Kazakhstan.
The order comes from the Astana International Financial Centre court, after the Astana Financial Services Authority sued the platforms for offering digital-asset services without authorization. The original September 15 order named seven platforms — BingX, Bitcoin.com, Huobi Global (HTX), BitMart, Coinbase, LBank and WEEX — but LBank was removed three days later after its operator blocked access in Kazakhstan, leaving six exchanges under the injunction.
Read also: CFTC Slams CME Lawsuit Over Bitcoin Perps — Who Wins US Trading?
The regulator's case is about protection. AFSA says users of unlicensed platforms do not get the safeguards that licensed firms must provide, such as asset protection, clear disclosure, complaints handling and dispute resolution. The fight has been building for a while: AFSA says it warned more than 20 platforms about the rules in 2025, nine of them voluntarily restricted their apps in Kazakhstan and had the claims against them withdrawn, and seven more said they plan to seek licences. Kazakhstan is not new to this approach — in 2023 its Financial Monitoring Agency blocked access to almost 1,000 unregistered exchanges.
What happens next for traders in Kazakhstan?
For local traders, the practical question is access: if the app-store restrictions are enforced, downloading or updating the blocked apps from inside Kazakhstan could stop working, pushing users toward licensed local platforms or toward seeking licences from the exchanges themselves. Coinbase, BingX and Huobi had not publicly answered requests for comment when the news broke. The wider lesson for the market is the same one seen in other countries this month: regulators are no longer just warning offshore exchanges — they are using courts and app stores to cut off unlicensed access.
Read also: Sparkassen Launches Bitcoin Trading for 5 Coins — 230 Banks to Join?
— Crypto News Daily News Desk
This post is news only, not financial advice. Always do your own research before buying or selling crypto.
Sources: Cointelegraph
Comments
Post a Comment