Coinbase wins UK authorisation to add derivatives and equities trading
The approval expands Coinbase’s UK business beyond crypto spot trading, enabling derivatives for institutional and advanced traders and equities for retail users as the company pushes its “everything exchange” strategy.
Coinbase said it has secured UK investment services authorisation, allowing it to expand beyond crypto spot trading and add traditional financial products alongside its existing UK business. The company said the approval will let institutional and advanced traders access derivatives, including crypto, equity and commodity perpetual futures, while retail users in the UK will be able to trade equities on Coinbase. Coinbase described the move as its biggest UK product expansion since entering the market and said UK users will soon be able to trade derivatives and equities alongside crypto on one platform under one login, subject to regulatory permissions and UK market rules. The expansion comes ahead of the UK’s new crypto regime, which is due to begin accepting applications in September before taking effect in October 2027, while current FCA restrictions still bar retail access to crypto derivatives even as certain crypto ETNs become available to retail consumers from Oct. 8, 2025 on eligible UK venues.
- perpetual futures: Derivative contracts that track an underlying asset without a fixed expiry date.
- crypto ETNs: Exchange-traded notes whose value is linked to crypto assets and that trade on regulated exchanges.
- FCA: The UK Financial Conduct Authority, the country’s financial regulator overseeing investment services and the upcoming crypto authorisation regime.