Coinbase wins Australian financial services license, eyes futures, options, equities and payments
Coinbase has secured an Australian financial services license and is gearing up to significantly expand its footprint in Australia — moving beyond spot crypto into a wider set of TradFi products including perpetuals, futures, options, stock trading and payments.
What Coinbase will roll out
- Initially, the license allows Coinbase to offer crypto and equity perpetuals.
- The exchange plans to broaden that scope over time to include futures, options and other traditional financial instruments.
- Coinbase also intends to compete with incumbent financial firms on stock trading, payments and other services, touting “the speed and execution of crypto,” according to John O’Loghlen, Coinbase’s regional managing director for APAC.
Regulatory standards and local market build-out
Under the license, Coinbase must meet the same conduct, disclosure, governance and consumer protection standards that apply to traditional financial services providers in Australia. O’Loghlen praised Australia’s regulatory approach, calling structured, thoughtful rules “good for customers, good for the industry and good for Australia’s ambition to be a leading digital economy in the Asia‑Pacific region.”
The regulatory backdrop: Digital Assets Framework Bill 2025
Australia is advancing the Corporations Amendment (Digital Assets Framework) Bill 2025, which passed both houses of parliament on April 1 and is now awaiting royal assent. If assented, the law will take effect 12 months later — providing a clearer legal foundation for exchanges and crypto firms operating in the country.
Hiring and broader momentum
To support its product expansion, Coinbase plans senior hires across legal, compliance, marketing and operations in Australia. The move follows another regulatory milestone for Coinbase: last week it became the first crypto‑native firm to receive conditional approval from the U.S. Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, marking the first time a major U.S. crypto exchange has secured that nod.
Why it matters
By combining an Australian financial services license with plans for traditional derivatives and equities offerings, Coinbase is signaling an aggressive push to bridge crypto-native speed and product design with regulated financial markets. The strategy could accelerate competition with established brokers and payments providers while testing how quickly regulators and customers embrace integrated crypto–TradFi platforms in the region.
Read more AI-generated news on: undefined/news
