Coinbase Launches Futures Trading in Europe

Coinbase has made a bold step in Europe with the rollout of crypto futures contracts. As per Coinbase’s update, this marks the first time the company is offering users in Europe direct access to derivatives.

Coinbase offers leverage on Bitcoin and Ethereum futures

As per the announcement, eligible users in over 26 countries can now access the product via Coinbase Advanced. Some of the benefiting countries include France, Germany and the Netherlands, among others.

In order to access the derivatives, Coinbase customers are required to complete eligibility checks. They are also required to complete a “know-your-customer” form and trading experience verification. Users can fund their accounts using euros or Circle (USDC) stablecoin before they can commence trading.

Coinbase’s new product includes perpetual-style futures and dated contracts. These come with either monthly or quarterly expirations. However, the perpetual-style instruments expire in five years, with hourly funding mechanisms that support contract prices.

Meanwhile, the dated contracts are marked to market daily and cash-settled at expiry if held to maturity. Traders on the platform can access leverage of up to 10 times on select contracts, including Bitcoin and Ethereum.

As per the Coinbase statement, other products offer leverage in the range of four and five times.  

The European expansion is a signal of increased adoption in the region. Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong had recently decried Wall Street’s undervaluation of the exchange. According to Armstrong, the traditional finance sector of Wall Street has not priced in Coinbase yet.

He argues that Coinbase is disrupting the broader financial sector, and there is a need for others to catch up. Armstrong claims that smart entities are already aligning with Coinbase to fit into the changing times.

Brian Armstrong pushes crypto adoption by banks 

In another development, Brian Armstrong has urged traditional banks to embrace cryptocurrency, arguing that integrating crypto will greatly benefit them. He urged banks to strongly consider developing crypto infrastructures and stop framing the debate as “banks against crypto.”

Meanwhile, in a recent move, Coinbase has announced that it will suspend 25 perpetual futures contracts, effective March 16, 2026. The suspension is held on Coinbase Advanced and Coinbase International Exchange.

The announcement clarified that it was not carrying out a spot token delisting but putting a stop to derivatives trading for selected tokens. These include SUSHI, ARK, MET and GMX, among others.