Coinbase Secures Australian Financial Services License, Plans Expansion into Securities Trading and Payments
Coinbase entered Australia in 2016, established Coinbase Australia in 2022 and registered with AUSTRAC. On April 1, 2026, Australia’s parliament passed legislation establishing a digital asset framework that subjects trading platforms to financial services licensing and consumer protection rules, making compliance capabilities a key competitive factor.
The Australian Securities and Investments Commission issued Coinbase Australia AFSL No. 569752 on April 2, 2026, and Coinbase announced the approval on April 7. It became the first crypto exchange to directly secure authorization to offer retail derivatives. The company will initially offer perpetual contracts on cryptocurrencies and stocks, with plans to expand into futures, options, stock trading and payment services.
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The history behind this eventCoinbase Secures UK License to Expand Into Equities and Derivatives
Coinbase, whose core business has been spot cryptocurrency trading, is working to create an “everything exchange” that combines digital assets and traditional securities in a single account. The UK is a major overseas market for the company, but its CB Payments unit was fined £3,503,546 by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) on July 23, 2024, for serving high-risk customers. Securing broader authorization therefore carries both regulatory and commercial significance.
Coinbase announced on July 7, 2026, that it had secured FCA authorization to provide investment services under a MiFID license, marking its largest-ever product expansion in the UK. UK retail customers will be able to trade equities on Coinbase for the first time, while institutional and advanced traders will gain access to perpetual contracts linked to cryptocurrencies, equities and commodities. The company said the products would be rolled out gradually but did not provide a firm launch date.
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