Newly appointed company president Brett Redfearn briefly worked as Coinbase’s head of capital markets and served for more than three years at the SEC. Tokenization platform Securitize has named Brett Redfearn as president, with the former official at the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) also joining its board of directors. Securitize’s Thursday notice said Redfearn previously served as the SEC’s director of its division of trading and markets, worked as Coinbase’s head of capital markets and held various roles over a decade spent at JPMorgan. He most recently has been a member of Securitize’s advisory board. Redfearn is the latest former government official who has moved into the crypto industry, highlighting questions about their roles overseeing digital assets while in office.…
A new Bitcoin–gold index highlights shifting views on crypto’s role as a store of value as correlations with equities increase and gold outperforms. MarketVector Indexes and Coinbase Asset Management have launched a new index tracking Bitcoin and tokenized gold, offering investors exposure to assets commonly associated with wealth preservation. The companies unveiled the Coinbase Store of Value Index on Thursday, which tracks Bitcoin (BTC) and Pax Gold (PAXG) — one of the largest gold-backed tokens. The index is designed as a benchmark combining digital assets with traditional store-of-value instruments. Bitcoin and gold are weighted using an inverse volatility model, meaning lower-volatility assets receive a higher allocation.
The approval puts Coinbase under Australia’s financial rules as the country formalizes oversight of crypto platforms. Coinbase is planning to expand its offerings in Australia to include derivatives, equities and payments after securing an Australian financial services license (AFSL). John O'Loghlen, regional managing director for APAC at Coinbase, said the Australian financial services license (AFSL) will see the exchange initially offer crypto and equity perpetuals but will open the door for futures, options and other traditional financial products. “We’re going to compete with traditional financial services on stock trading, payments and other TradFi products with the speed and execution of crypto,” O'Loghlen said.
The Independent Community Bankers of America warns Coinbase’s trust charter falls short of regulatory standards and could pose risks to consumers and the financial system. The Independent Community Bankers of America has opposed the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency’s (OCC) conditional approval of Coinbase’s national trust bank charter, warning the application falls short of regulatory standards and could pose risks to consumers and the financial system. On Thursday, ICBA said Coinbase’s application shows deficiencies in risk controls, profitability and resolution planning, and argued the OCC lacks statutory authority to expand trust powers for crypto-related activities without applying the full set of banking regulations. The group said the decision reflects a broader trend of non…
Circle, known for issuing stablecoins including USDC and EURC, is expanding into the Bitcoin space, targeting institutional users. Stablecoin issuer Circle said it plans to launch its own version of a wrapped Bitcoin, which would put it against incumbents Coinbase and BitGo as it targets institutional users. The asset, called cirBTC and announced on Thursday, is set to launch on Ethereum, backed 1:1 by bitcoin (BTC) and aimed at over-the-counter desks, market makers and lending protocols. Circle said the asset is designed to provide institutions with a “highly secure and neutral version of wrapped BTC.”
Chief legal officer Paul Grewal announced the approval on Thursday, thanking OCC head Jonathan Gould, who took office less than a year ago. The US Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) has approved cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase’s application for a national bank trust charter after six months of consideration. In a Thursday X post, Coinbase chief legal officer Paul Grewal said the company received conditional approval for the OCC application, following December approvals for Ripple Labs, BitGo, Circle, Fidelity Digital Assets and Paxos. Although the company said in October it had “no intention of becoming a bank" if approved, the move by US regulators marks one of the most significant forays into bridging crypto and traditional finance.
Coinbase legal chief Paul Grewal says US lawmakers are nearing agreement on the CLARITY Act, with a Senate markup expected soon. Coinbase chief legal officer Paul Grewal said the US Digital Asset Market Clarity Act is “moving toward” a markup hearing in the US Senate Banking Committee and could eventually move to a floor vote if senators resolve the stablecoin yield dispute and schedule a markup. Speaking in a Wednesday interview on Fox Business, Grewal said lawmakers are nearing agreement on core elements of the crypto market structure bill, even as debate continues over stablecoin yield. “I think we’re very close to a deal,” he said. The remarks point to possible movement on one of the last major sticking points in Senate talks over crypto market structure legislation: whether stablecoin…
A Coinbase Institute survey suggests crypto has become the financial starting point for most 16-25-year-olds in the UK, as digital assets become a powerful credibility test for political parties. The United Kingdom’s move to pause political donations in cryptocurrency is colliding with rising digital asset awareness among younger people, with more than 80% of 16- to 25-year-olds now familiar with crypto, according to a new survey shared with Cointelegraph. Research by Coinbase Institute and JL Partners, shared with Cointelegraph, found that crypto, led by Bitcoin (BTC), has overtaken traditional banking products as many young people’s entry point to understanding money, risk and financial opportunity. Just 43% recognize a Stocks & Shares Individual Savings Account and 20% a Help to Buy ISA…
A Coinbase and CoinTracker survey found fewer than half of crypto users correctly understand when digital assets become taxable. A majority of crypto users remain unclear on basic tax rules, with fewer than half correctly identifying when transactions become taxable, a new survey found. Only 49% of respondents correctly understand that crypto becomes taxable when it is sold, while nearly a quarter believe simple transfers can trigger tax events, according to a 2026 Crypto Tax Readiness Report published by Coinbase and CoinTracker. The findings come from a survey of 3,000 US crypto users conducted between Sept. 9 and Oct. 3, ahead of the 2025 tax reporting season.
The US city is expected to pen an amicus brief in Coinbase's lawsuit against the state of Michigan, which the exchange filed ahead of its prediction markets launch. Lawyers representing the US city of Detroit plan to file an amicus brief in Coinbase's lawsuit against Michigan, which argues that federal regulators should have authority in overseeing prediction markets and not states. In a Thursday filing in the US District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan related to state officials’ motion for a preliminary injunction, District Judge Shalina Kumar approved an order which will allow Detroit to file a brief supporting state authorities in their lawsuit against Coinbase. Kumar gave Detroit’s lawyers until April 3 to make the filing as the lawsuit continues. In December, Coinbase fi…
While prediction market platforms are under legal scrutiny in the US, many Coinbase users are claiming that the app is pushing them to gamble. Update (March 27 at 8:32 pm in UTC): This article has been updated to include a statement from Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong. Negative reactions to cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase using its notifications to push bets on event contracts amid the March Madness basketball tournament range from “annoying” to “absurd.” In January, Coinbase rolled out prediction market bets for US-based users as part of a partnership with Kalshi. However, for some users, the last two months have been seen as an opportunity for the exchange to get people “hooked on sports gambling” using an app that many had devoted to crypto trading.
Coinbase and Better Home & Finance launched a structure that lets borrowers pledge Bitcoin or USDC to fund the cash down payment on a conforming mortgage tied to Fannie Mae-backed loans. Crypto exchange Coinbase Global has launched a mortgage structure with Better Home & Finance that lets qualified borrowers pledge digital assets held in Coinbase accounts to fund down payments on standard conforming mortgages designed in accordance with Fannie Mae guidelines. According to Coinbase, the structure enables borrowers to pledge digital assets such as Bitcoin (BTC) or USDC (USDC) as collateral for a separate loan used to fund the down payment, while the primary mortgage remains a standard, Fannie Mae–backed loan. Better will originate and service the mortgages. When rolled out, the new developme…
The council, co-chaired by White House AI and crypto czar David Sacks and science advisor Michael Kratsios, include Mark Zuckberg, Larry Ellison and Jensen Huang. US President Donald Trump announced the appointment of 13 members from the crypto, blockchain, AI, and technology industries to his Council of Advisors on Science and Technology, re-established by executive order in January 2025. In a Wednesday notice, the White House said that the council would include Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Coinbase co-founder Fred Ehrsam, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, Oracle chief technology officer Larry Ellison, and others from major tech companies. According to the White House, the council could have up to 24 members, many of whom “will be appointed in the near future.”
Coinbase has launched stock perpetual futures for non-US traders, expanding its push to offer round-the-clock access to multiple asset classes. Coinbase has launched stock perpetual futures for eligible non-US traders, expanding its push to offer round-the-clock access to crypto, equities and prediction markets on a single platform. In a Friday blog post, Coinbase said the product was not available to US persons at the current time, but that it was “working to expand this offering to additional regions in the future.” The contracts are available on Coinbase Advanced for retail users and Coinbase International Exchange for institutions, offering leveraged, cash-settled exposure to major US stocks and indices, including Apple (AAPL) and Nvidia (NVDA), in a format familiar to crypto traders.
The new toolkit from Sam Altman's startup lets AI agents prove they are backed by a unique human while interacting with websites, APIs and other online services. World, the identity network co-founded by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, has released AgentKit, a developer toolkit that allows AI agents to prove they are linked to a verified, unique human through World ID when interacting with websites and online services. The system integrates World ID’s proof-of-human identity with the x402 micropayments protocol started by Coinbase and Cloudflare, allowing agents to pay for access to online resources while presenting cryptographic proof that they are linked to a verified human credential. The x402 protocol allows agents to pay small fees to access websites, APIs and other services. According to an a…
US lawmakers are eyeing tax exemptions for US dollar stablecoins, which are pegged and do not change in value, but not other cryptocurrencies. Executives at Coinbase have denied allegations that the crypto exchange is blocking a de minimis tax exemption for Bitcoin (BTC) transactions below a certain threshold to push for stablecoin tax exemptions. Several Bitcoin advocates speculated on social media that the exchange told US lawmakers that a BTC tax exemption is not needed because BTC is not widely used as a medium of exchange. Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong responded by calling the allegations “totally false” and a form of misinformation.
The insurance broker is piloting stablecoin payments for premiums using USDC and PYUSD, testing blockchain settlement rails for faster payments in global insurance markets. Aon, one of the world’s largest insurance brokers, is testing the use of stablecoins to pay insurance premiums, highlighting the growing role of digital dollars in traditional financial infrastructure following the passage of the GENIUS bill last year. In a Monday announcement, UK-based Aon said it completed a pilot that settled insurance premiums for clients, including Coinbase and Paxos, using USDC (USDC) on Ethereum and PayPal USD (PYUSD) on Solana. Tim Fletcher, CEO of Aon’s financial services division, said the pilot reflects the company’s effort to explore stablecoins as a payment rail, predicting that tokenized…
Coinbase launched regulated crypto and equity index futures for Advanced users in 26 European countries as ESMA sharpens scrutiny of perpetual-style products. Cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase has launched new futures offerings in Europe, expanding its push to give users access to both crypto and traditional market exposure through regulated products. Coinbase said Monday the contracts are being rolled out to Coinbase Advanced users in 26 European countries, including Germany, France and the Netherlands, through its Markets in Financial Instruments Directive, or MiFID, entity. The new lineup includes crypto futures tied to assets such as Bitcoin (BTC) and Solana (SOL), along with an equity-index product called the Mag7 + Crypto Equity Index Futures. Coinbase said that contract combines expo…
The lawsuit seeks damages for Coinbase, governance reforms and the return of compensation and profits allegedly earned by insiders amid the company’s compliance failures. A Coinbase shareholder filed a derivative lawsuit against several of the crypto exchange’s top executives and board members, alleging they failed in oversight of compliance and disclosures, exposing the company to legal and regulatory fallout. The complaint was filed Tuesday in the US District Court for the District of New Jersey and was brought by shareholder Kevin Meehan on behalf of Coinbase Global. It cites CEO Brian Armstrong, co-founder Fred Ehrsam, and several current and former directors and senior executives, including chief legal officer Paul Grewal and chief financial officer Alesia Haas. According to the filin…
The meeting reportedly happened hours before Donald Trump posted to his social media platform, echoing some of Brian Armstrong's public statements about stablecoin yield. US President Donald Trump reportedly met with Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong just hours before issuing a statement criticizing banks for holding a market structure bill “hostage.” According to a Tuesday Politico report, Trump met privately with Armstrong after a group of Coinbase representatives went to the White House. The details of the reported meeting were unclear, but the president posted to his Truth Social channel afterwards, that “the US needs to get Market Structure done, ASAP.” “The banks are hitting record profits, and we are not going to allow them to undermine our powerful Crypto Agenda …,” said Trump in his Tu…
