Coinbase has secured regulatory approval in the United Kingdom to offer investment services, including derivatives, equities, and crypto products through a single platform. The authorization, obtained under the MiFID framework, allows the exchange to expand beyond digital assets for the first time, offering institutional and advanced traders perpetual futures on crypto, equity, and commodities. Retail investors will also gain the ability to trade stocks directly on the platform. This approval sits alongside Coinbase’s existing UK e-money license and crypto registration, positioning it as “the most comprehensively regulated crypto player in the market,” according to the company. The move is part of a broader strategy to build an “everything exchange.”
The largest US-based cryptocurrency exchange has expanded its scope of regulatory authorizations across the world by securing the necessary approval to provide investment services in the United Kingdom. This is considered one of its most significant expansions in the market since launching there several years ago.
The statement from the company reveals that the approval will allow it to offer traditional financial products alongside cryptocurrencies through a single platform. The new authorization enables the exchange to expand beyond digital assets and introduce a new set of products, such as derivatives and equities, to UK-based users.
Coinbase said institutional and advanced traders will gain access to crypto, equity, and commodity perpetual futures. At the same time, retail investors will be able to trade stocks directly on the platform for the first time.
The investment services authorization will sit alongside the exchange’s existing UK e-money license and crypto registration, which is expected to consolidate the firm’s “position as the most comprehensively regulated crypto player in the market.” The company described the milestone as a “significant step” toward its long-term vision of building an “everything exchange,” in which users can access multiple financial products through a single account.
Aside from the aforementioned approval, Coinbase plans to introduce tokenized real-world assets as part of its broader platform strategy. The statement also credited the UK’s regulatory approach with encouraging further investment and pointed to efforts to establish a clear legislative framework for the cryptocurrency industry.
