Coinbase has taken a major step toward becoming an “everything exchange” in the U.K., winning regulatory approval to offer stocks and derivatives to customers in one of its largest international markets.
The San Francisco–based crypto exchange said Tuesday it has been granted a UK investment services authorisation — commonly referred to as a MiFID licence — by the Financial Conduct Authority. That permission lets Coinbase expand beyond crypto into traditional financial instruments, marking the biggest expansion of its UK product suite to date. In a tweet announcing the approval on July 7, 2026, Coinbase described the move as “another step to bringing the everything exchange worldwide.”
What the licence enables
- Retail users: For the first time, everyday U.K. customers will be able to trade equities on Coinbase’s platform.
- Institutional and advanced traders: Access to a wider derivatives offering, including perpetual futures tied to crypto, equities and commodities.
Why it matters
- Strategic push: The licence advances Coinbase’s long-stated ambition to be a single app for crypto, stocks, derivatives, prediction markets, payments and savings — a direct challenge to brokerages, banks and fintech apps.
- Regulatory positioning: The investment services authorisation complements Coinbase’s existing U.K. e-money licence and crypto registration. The company says this stacked regulatory footprint makes it “the most comprehensively regulated crypto player” in the market.
Regulatory context and limits
- The FCA still prohibits the sale of crypto derivatives to U.K. retail investors, so the new derivatives access will be limited to institutional and advanced traders for now. That leaves equities as the primary new product for everyday users.
- The approval comes as Britain finalises its wider crypto rulebook: the FCA published its framework in late June 2026, with a full regime scheduled to take effect in October 2027.
Broader rollout and product roadmap
Coinbase has already been broadening its non-spot offering elsewhere. In the U.S., it became the first centralized exchange cleared to offer crypto perpetual futures, has started rolling out stock trading, launched Kalshi-powered prediction markets and is pursuing tokenized equities. It also recently added savings and borrowing products for U.K. customers.
Market potential
Coinbase pointed to FCA research suggesting roughly 7 million U.K. adults already hold crypto — a sizable addressable market for its expanded product line.
Bottom line
The new investment services authorisation gives Coinbase legal cover to blend traditional finance products with its existing crypto services in the U.K., sharpening the company’s push to become an all-in-one financial marketplace while operating under increased regulatory scrutiny.
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