Key facts
- Coinbase has received UK regulatory approval to offer equities and derivatives.
- Institutional traders will gain access to perpetual futures.
- UK retail customers will be able to trade equities for the first time.
- The authorization supports Coinbase's "Everything Exchange" strategy.
- Coinbase previously received FCA cryptoasset registration in the UK.
Coinbase has obtained regulatory approval in the United Kingdom to expand its services beyond cryptocurrency, now offering traditional investment products such as equities and derivatives. This significant development allows institutional traders access to perpetual futures and enables UK retail customers to trade equities on the platform for the first time.
The authorization aligns with Coinbase's strategic goal of becoming an "Everything Exchange," broadening its offerings to include stocks, derivatives, and tokenized products. The company already provides stock and exchange-traded fund trading to its US users, and offers USDC-settled stock perpetual futures to eligible non-US customers on major companies like Apple, Microsoft, and Tesla.
Coinbase also intends to introduce tokenized stocks backed by US equities to eligible international users, providing them with ownership of the underlying shares and associated dividends. The new license complements Coinbase's existing UK e-money license and crypto registration, which it received from the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) in February of the previous year.
With the UK's comprehensive crypto framework anticipated to be implemented in October 2027, this new license provides Coinbase with a regulated pathway to expand its services in the country ahead of that timeline.