Coinbase Secures UK MiFID License to Expand Trading Beyond Crypto

• Coinbase was granted a MiFID license, enabling equities and derivatives trading for UK users.
• Institutional and advanced traders gain derivatives access across crypto, equities, and commodities.
• The license strengthens Coinbase’s regulated presence and bridges traditional and digital finance.

Coinbase announced it has been granted a UK MiFID license, officially authorizing the platform to offer investment services, including equities and derivatives. The license positions Coinbase to expand beyond crypto trading, allowing retail investors to access stocks and institutional traders to trade derivatives, such as perpetual futures, across crypto, equities, and commodities.

The authorization comes as part of Coinbase’s larger UK footprint, alongside its existing e-money license and crypto registration. The company says the combination makes it the most comprehensively regulated crypto platform in the UK. For millions of Britons, this means the ability to manage traditional and digital assets on a single platform under one login.

Impact for Retail and Institutional Users

Retail users now gain regulated access to equities directly on Coinbase, marking a first for the exchange in the UK market. Institutional and advanced traders, meanwhile, can engage in derivative trading, including crypto and equity futures. 

This broadens the trading tools available to sophisticated participants and complements the company’s existing offerings, including crypto savings, borrowing, and tokenized real-world assets.

Coinbase highlighted that roughly 7 million UK adults already hold crypto, and a quarter of non-holders would consider participating in a regulated environment. By combining equities and crypto under one platform, the exchange aims to streamline the investment experience and reduce fragmentation across financial accounts.

Bringing the “Everything Exchange” to Life

The MiFID license represents a critical step toward Coinbase’s vision of becoming an “everything exchange,” a single platform where users can trade, save, borrow, and invest across multiple asset classes. 

The UK’s progressive regulatory framework and high fintech adoption made it an attractive market for expansion. Coinbase executives emphasized that this license enables the company to integrate traditional financial instruments with digital finance, bridging gaps and offering unified access to institutional and retail clients alike.

Coinbase plans to roll out these products in phases, with equities available immediately for retail users, while derivative access will initially be restricted to qualified institutional and advanced traders. The license ensures that UK participants can trade within a regulated environment ahead of the country’s broader crypto framework, expected in October 2027.