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Coinbase has been granted authorisation by UK regulators to provide investment services, a move the exchange says will allow it to offer traditional financial instruments alongside its existing crypto products.
Keith Grose, UK CEO, Coinbase
Keith Grose, UK CEO, Coinbase said:
The authorisation means institutional and advanced traders will gain access to derivatives, including crypto, equity and commodity perpetual futures, while retail users will be able to trade equities on Coinbase for the first time. The licence sits within Coinbase's UK entity alongside its e-money licence and crypto registration.
"Today we're announcing that Coinbase has been granted UK authorisation to provide investment services. In plain terms: we can now offer traditional financial instruments, not just crypto."
The company points to research from the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) showing that around seven million UK adults already hold crypto, and that a quarter of non-holders would be more likely to participate if the sector were properly regulated. The UK's full crypto regime is due to take effect in October 2027.
Keith Grose, UK CEO, Coinbase commented:
"We look forward to October 2027, when the UK's full crypto regime takes effect and that becomes a reality. But this licence means UK users don't have to wait to benefit. It gives both crypto holders and newcomers regulated access to traditional investments today, on a platform millions of Britons already trust to invest, save and trade."
Coinbase frames the authorisation as part of a wider strategy to consolidate multiple financial services onto a single platform. The company has launched UK savings and borrowing products in recent months, and says tokenised real-world assets are planned for the future.
Keith Grose, UK CEO, Coinbase also made the following comments:
"Today, a typical UK investor juggles a banking app, a brokerage account, a savings product and a crypto wallet. We think that era is ending."
"We believe crypto is the foundational architecture of the modern financial system, and the gap between traditional and digital finance is closing fast. The UK is now one of the first markets where users will see what that convergence actually looks like."
Grose credited UK regulators for the framework that enabled the authorisation.
"The UK Government and the FCA are building a forward-thinking, pro-growth framework for digital finance. Clear, robust guardrails are what give mainstream institutions and everyday users the confidence to participate. This license is proof that high regulatory standards and innovation are not in tension. They reinforce each other."
"We chose to deepen our commitment to the UK because the UK made itself worth committing to."
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