Coinbase Launches Nearly 4,000 U.S. Stocks for Eligible UK…

Coinbase has begun rolling out access to nearly 4,000 US-listed stocks for eligible customers in the United Kingdom, starting Aug. 6. The move adds traditional equities to an app previously focused on crypto and stablecoins, letting users buy, sell and manage US shares alongside their other holdings. The company says it is the first crypto-native trading app to offer direct access to US equities in the UK.

The launch includes 24-hour trading from Monday through Friday, zero-commission transactions and fractional investing from £1. Customers can fund stock purchases instantly with British pounds or USDC, which Coinbase says removes the need to shift money between separate brokerage, banking and crypto accounts before trading. Shares will be held in the US by Apex Clearing, with orders routed through Coinbase Capital Markets Corporation — giving users exposure to conventional US-listed securities rather than tokenized versions.

The product is part of Coinbase's broader 'Everything Exchange' push to combine stocks, stablecoins, savings, borrowing and crypto in one platform. Keith Grose, Coinbase's regional managing director for the UK and Europe, said the company has made progress toward a single place where customers can access multiple financial products. Additional products are planned for the UK and European Union in coming months, following the earlier introduction of UK savings accounts and crypto-backed borrowing.

Coinbase sees the equity launch as a way to reduce its reliance on crypto trading fees, which can swing sharply with digital asset prices and retail sentiment. UK retail investors have historically participated in stock markets at lower rates than US investors, and Coinbase believes simpler access, fractional shares and extended hours could attract users who find traditional brokerages complex. The extended 24/5 schedule also gives UK investors more time to react to US earnings, economic data and company announcements outside regular New York trading hours.

Regulatory groundwork is already in place: Coinbase recently secured a UK MiFID licence that expands its permissions to offer equities to retail customers and derivatives to professional traders. The company said tokenized stocks remain an important part of the future of financial markets and it intends to work with UK regulators on offering them later. Coinbase also noted that the UK's new crypto regime is expected to take effect in October 2027, with the authorization gateway due to open in September 2026. For now, the initial rollout uses conventional shares, with custody rights, shareholder protections, market access and settlement rules among the issues that would need to be resolved before tokenized equities could be offered at scale.