Tech giants Apple and Google must follow September rulings to crack down on unlicensed AIFC operations.
On Oct. 20, Kazakhstan’s Astana Financial Services Authority announced plans to issue judicial demands requiring Apple and Google to block six crypto exchanges, notably Coinbase.
The regulator is focusing this action on app storefronts to combat unapproved digital-asset operations.
This directive impacts services catering to clients within the Astana International Financial Centre, Kazakhstan’s special financial zone, though AFSA hasn’t verified delivery to the tech platforms yet.
The Sept. 18 amended directive targets platform managers for BingX, Bitcoin.com, HTX, BitMart, Coinbase, and WEEX, updating AFSA’s Sept. 15 default ruling to drop LBank after the exchange proactively restricted access for Kazakhstani users.
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These restrictions prohibit providing, advertising, or facilitating unapproved digital-asset services to clients inside the AIFC, while also forbidding the distribution of mobile software supporting those unlicensed activities.
Once notified, Apple and Google will face the same obligations as official defendants, though official delivery opens a window for both tech firms to challenge or amend the ruling.
This strategy pulls app-store providers straight into the regulatory crosshairs along with the platforms, severely choking user access, though the decree omits specific technical steps or geographic limits for compliance.
AFSA officials confirmed they intend to issue these demands directly to Google Play and Apple App Store managers, leveraging court injunctions to force compliance across the remaining six exchanges.
Regulatory authorities noted that nine separate exchanges voluntarily blocked Kazakhstani users from their applications, leading officials to drop pending legal actions against those compliant platforms rather than targeting them like the remaining six.
Furthermore, AFSA revealed that seven trading platforms plan to secure proper licenses for their digital-asset venues, marking the latest phase in an effort that began with warnings to over 20 firms in 2025 before escalating to court filings in early 2026.
Kazakhstani regulators previously limited Coinbase access back in November 2023, but this latest strategy opens a distinct enforcement avenue targeting app distribution under the September 2026 directives.
For traders on these six exchanges, the real-world impact hinges on how authorities serve notice and how tech firms execute regional store blocks.
