Coinbase Secures UK Licence to Offer Stocks, Derivatives and Crypto Services

Highlights:

• American crypto exchange Coinbase has secured another license to expand its offerings in the United Kingdom.
• The trading platform will be allowed to offer services such as perpetual futures linked to cryptocurrencies, stocks, and commodities. 
• Coinbase plans to roll out new services to solve challenges peculiar to UK institutional and individual investors. 

America’s largest cryptocurrency exchange, Coinbase, has secured approval to offer broader investment services in the United Kingdom. Coinbase announced the license approval in a press release today, stating that it allows the exchange to provide traditional financial investments alongside its existing digital asset services.

Institutional clients and experienced traders will be able to access different types of derivatives on Coinbase. These include perpetual futures linked to cryptocurrencies, stocks, and commodities. At the same time, retail UK-based users will be allowed to buy and sell shares through Coinbase for the first time. 

Coinbase stated:

“Institutional traders will gain access to derivatives, including crypto, equity and commodity perpetual futures. Retail users will, for the first time, be able to trade equities on Coinbase. And this is just the opening set.”

Today marks our biggest ever expansion of Coinbase UK's product suite.

We've now secured an investment services authorisation in the UK, enabling us to soon offer both equities and derivatives.

Another step to bringing the everything exchange worldwide. pic.twitter.com/sns3IGRHHM

— Coinbase 🛡️ (@coinbase) July 7, 2026

Coinbase Secures UK Licence to Become One of the Most Regulated Platforms in the Region

Before its latest approval, Coinbase had already secured an e-money licence and registration for crypto activities in the United Kingdom. The combination of these licenses strengthens Coinbase’s position as one of the most regulated crypto exchanges in the UK market.

The trading platform added: 

“We look forward to October 2027, when the UK’s full crypto regime takes effect. But this licence means UK users don’t have to wait to benefit.”

Citing research from the UK’s financial regulator, Coinbase noted that the approval came at a very important time. According to the research, roughly 7 million adults in the country already own cryptocurrencies. The same research also showed that about 1 in 4 people who do not own cryptocurrencies would be more willing to trade or invest in crypto if regulations were stronger. 

Coinbase Highlights Other Reasons that Made the UK Ideal for Expansion

The American crypto exchange described the UK as an important market because of its large financial sector and strong interest in financial technology. Coinbase believes that these attributes will position the country to support the next stage of digital finance. 

Beyond technological advancements, Coinbase has identified some challenges it plans to solve. The trading platform noted that many people now manage their money across different services. For example, many traders use multiple apps for banking, investing, saving, and crypto trading. 

Coinbase wants to integrate these services into a single platform. This allows users to manage their finances through a single account. Parts of the exchange’s plans include offering stablecoin payments, savings products, borrowing services, crypto trading, stock investing, and derivatives. The trading platform stated that it will introduce real-world assets in the future. 

Coinbase also noted that blockchain technology is gradually becoming a key part of the financial system, especially as the difference between traditional finance and digital assets continues to diminish. Coinbase praised the UK government and the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), saying their approach to digital finance provides clear rules that support both innovation and consumer confidence.

Aside from the United Kingdom, Coinbase is also making efforts to expand in other European countries. On June 25, Crypto2Community reported that the American exchange has established Luxembourg as its European crypto hub after securing a Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) license from the nation’s financial and cryptocurrency authorities. 

Coinbase Secures Luxembourg MiCA License to Serve All 27 EU States

Coinbase, the largest U.S. crypto exchange, said it has secured a MiCA license from Luxembourg’s financial regulator CSSF and will make Luxembourg its European crypto hub. The license allows Coinbase to offer… pic.twitter.com/wStwfzzUOH

— Wu Blockchain (@WuBlockchain) June 25, 2026