Coinbase has begun rolling out access to nearly 4,000 U.S.-listed stocks for eligible UK customers, marking the exchange’s biggest step yet toward becoming an all-in-one investment platform where users can trade stocks, cryptocurrencies and cash from a single account.

The launch follows Coinbase’s newly secured investment services authorization from the UK’s Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), enabling the company to expand beyond digital assets and accelerate its “Everything Exchange” strategy of combining traditional finance and crypto under one regulated platform.

Coinbase expands beyond crypto with UK stock trading

Beginning Aug. 6, eligible UK customers can buy and sell nearly 4,000 U.S. stocks and ETFs directly through the Coinbase app. Users can purchase fractional shares from as little as £1, trade U.S. equities nearly around the clock through 24/5 market access, and fund purchases using either British pounds or USDC without transferring assets to another brokerage.

The rollout builds on Coinbase’s existing UK crypto products, savings accounts and crypto-backed borrowing services, allowing customers to manage stocks, crypto and fiat balances within a single application. Trading access will be introduced in phases, with eligible users gradually gaining access over the coming weeks.

The expansion was made possible by Coinbase’s full MiFID-equivalent investment services authorization from the FCA. Unlike a cryptoasset registration or e-money license, the authorization allows Coinbase to offer regulated investment products such as equities and derivatives through a single licensed entity.

Under the current framework, retail investors can access U.S. equities, while institutional and professional traders gain access to a broader suite of regulated products, including derivatives. The approval also gives Coinbase an early advantage ahead of the UK’s comprehensive crypto regulatory framework, which is expected to be fully implemented in late 2027.

Tokenized stocks remain the long-term vision

Although Coinbase has highlighted tokenized U.S. equities as a key part of its long-term strategy, those products are not part of the initial UK rollout.

The company ultimately plans to introduce blockchain-based U.S. stocks backed one-to-one by underlying shares while preserving shareholder rights such as dividends, creating what it describes as blockchain-native representations of real equity ownership rather than synthetic products or contracts for difference.

However, Coinbase executives said the company deliberately chose to launch conventional U.S. equities first to deliver immediate value while continuing to work with regulators before bringing tokenized securities to market.

The launch also expands the role of USDC within Coinbase’s ecosystem. Customers can move directly between crypto assets, stablecoins and U.S. equities without leaving the platform, while Coinbase One subscribers can earn rewards on USDC balances used to fund investments.

That integration reflects Coinbase’s broader ambition of transforming the exchange into an “Everything Exchange” that combines stocks, crypto, derivatives, lending, payments and other financial services within a single regulated account.

A broader bet on becoming the next-generation brokerage

The UK expansion represents Coinbase’s latest effort to position itself as more than a cryptocurrency exchange, extending the multi-asset model it first introduced in the United States into one of its largest international markets.

Rather than requiring customers to maintain separate brokerage, banking and crypto accounts, Coinbase is building a platform where traditional and digital assets coexist under one interface, with blockchain infrastructure and stablecoins increasingly serving as the rails connecting them.

The FCA authorization also strengthens Coinbase’s competitive position in the UK. While many crypto exchanges operating in the country remain limited to cryptoasset registrations, Coinbase can now offer regulated equities and additional financial products through a single licensed platform.

For Coinbase, the rollout is less about adding another product than reshaping what a crypto exchange can become. As regulatory clarity improves and tokenized securities move closer to reality, the company is positioning itself to compete not only with crypto exchanges, but with traditional brokerages as well.