Coinbase has begun offering derivatives trading to professional clients in the United Kingdom, rolling out futures, options and perpetual contracts through the investment-services authorization it secured from UK regulators. The rollout is not available to UK retail users, with access gated to clients who meet the country's professional-client eligibility criteria.
The suite spans more than 170 contracts across crypto, commodities, equities and foreign exchange. Perpetuals carry leverage of up to 50x and trade around the clock, while dated futures with fixed settlement dates cap out at 20x leverage. Options trading is initially limited to crypto-linked underlying assets. Access is being extended progressively over the coming weeks rather than to all eligible clients at once.
A MiFID License Months in the Making
The launch follows Coinbase's investment-services authorization, granted to its UK entity, CB Payments Ltd, on July 7. That approval sits alongside the company's existing electronic-money institution authorization and cryptoasset registration in the UK, giving it a layered regulatory footing that few crypto-native firms in the country can match. Client eligibility details, including specific thresholds, are listed on the UK's Financial Services Register, which tracks firms authorized to provide MiFID investment services.
Getting Ahead of a Broader UK Framework
Coinbase's move lands well before the UK's comprehensive cryptoasset regulatory regime is due to take full effect on October 25, 2027, giving the exchange a head start on rivals still working out which licenses they will ultimately need. The same MiFID permission is also expected to open the door to UK retail equities trading on Coinbase's platform, separate from the professional-only derivatives rollout.
Related: Russia Caps Retail Crypto Buys at $3,645/Year, Limited to BTC, ETH, USDT
Professional-Only Access, For Now
Because the new contracts are restricted to professional clients, day-to-day retail users in the UK won't see futures, options or perpetuals appear in their accounts as part of this rollout. The distinction matters given the leverage on offer — 50x on perpetuals in particular carries liquidation risk that UK regulators have historically been cautious about extending to retail traders.
