Coinbase has announced the launch of perpetual futures trading for its non-US customers on Coinbase Advanced, a platform designed for sophisticated retail traders. Perpetual futures contracts allow traders to speculate on the price movements of crypto assets without any expiration date.
Starting today, eligible Coinbase Advanced customers in non-US jurisdictions can trade four perpetual contracts: bitcoin (BTC), ether (ETH), litecoin (LTC), and XRP. These contracts are settled in USDC, a stablecoin backed by US dollars.
Users can now access perpetual futures with leverage of up to 5X (except for XRP at 3X) through advanced.coinbase.com, with mobile trading options coming soon. As part of an introductory promotion, customers will benefit from a low fee rate of 0% (maker) and 0.03% (taker).
A Regulated and Compliant Platform
Coinbase enables perpetual futures for non-US customers. It has obtained regulatory approval from the Bermuda Monetary Authority (BMA), which is a leading regulator of digital assets known for its robust framework in supervising crypto businesses.
In May 2023, Coinbase Exchange obtained a class F license from the BMA, allowing it to offer perpetual futures to non-US institutions. Coinbase said that it has built its perpetual futures products within rigorous compliance standards and aims to expand access to derivatives through Coinbase Advanced, serving a wider range of global customers.
A Growing Demand for Crypto Derivatives
The launch of perpetual futures by Coinbase coincides with a significant surge in the global crypto derivatives market. According to CoinGecko’s report, in March 2023, crypto derivatives accounted for a staggering 75% of the total crypto trading volume, which amounted to $2.95 trillion.
Coinbase proudly proclaimed that their perpetual futures provide traders with several advantages such as increased capital efficiency, easier access to the crypto market even with limited upfront investment, and enhanced risk management for their underlying crypto assets.
