Coinbase began rolling out access to nearly 4,000 U.S. stocks to eligible customers in the United Kingdom on Aug. 6, adding equities trading to an app most British users originally opened to buy crypto. Trades run 24 hours a day, five days a week, carry no commission, and start at £1 through fractional shares. Customers can fund them with pounds or with USDC balances they already hold. Coinbase UK and Europe managing director Keith Grose told The Block that orders are routed by Coinbase Capital Markets Corporation to Apex for execution, with the shares custodied by Apex Clearing in the United States.
USDC is a dollar-pegged stablecoin issued by Circle, a token designed to hold a constant $1 value against reserves of cash and short-term U.S. Treasuries.
Key takeaways
- Eligible UK users get phased access to nearly 4,000 U.S. equities starting Aug. 6, with zero-commission trading 24 hours a day, five days a week.
- Purchases can be funded instantly in GBP or USDC, and fractional shares start at £1, about $1.35.
- The launch runs on the UK investment services licence Coinbase secured in July, which also cleared it to offer derivatives to professional traders.
- Coinbase is selling conventional shares, not tokenized equities, and says it will wait for regulators before offering the tokenized version.
Published: Aug. 6, 2026, 16:10 UTC
An exchange with volatile revenue starts selling stocks
The timing points at a business problem rather than a product roadmap. Coinbase reported a $359 million second-quarter loss five days ago, and the shares fell 12% on the print. Consumer trading fees still move with token prices, and token prices have been flat to weak: bitcoin traded near $64,500 on Thursday and the Crypto Fear and Greed Index sat at 25, in extreme fear territory.
Equities, savings accounts and crypto-backed borrowing produce fee income that does not depend on a bull market. Coinbase has now shipped all three in Britain inside a year. Grose told The Block that “top U.S. equities are some of the hottest capital markets for investors currently in the AI boom,” and said Coinbase was bringing those stocks to UK customers. COIN closed at $149.89 on Wednesday, down 0.56%, and edged higher in Thursday premarket trading, according to CoinGape.
What UK customers actually get
Access arrives in phases rather than all at once, and the trading window extends well past New York hours. Coinbase One subscribers can continue earning uncapped rewards on USDC balances while using the service, which matters because those same balances can now settle a stock purchase without leaving the app.
The risk disclosures are worth reading before the marketing. Fractional trading is unavailable outside normal U.S. market hours, out-of-hours trading carries wider spreads and thinner liquidity, and U.S. equities are priced in dollars, so a purchase funded in pounds carries exchange-rate risk on top of share-price risk. CB Payments Ltd is authorized and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority for investment services and electronic money activities, while third parties execute, clear and settle the trades.
The licence that made this possible
Coinbase could not have offered retail equities in Britain a year ago. The UK MiFID licence it secured in July expanded its permissions to cover equities for retail investors and derivatives for professional traders, and Grose said further products are planned across the UK and European Union in the coming months.
The broader regime is still being built. The FCA has finalized its crypto rules, the authorization gateway opens in September, and the framework takes effect in October 2027. Grose described that timeline as “a green light” for the company’s plan to combine crypto, stocks, stablecoins, savings and borrowing in one account.
Tokenized equities are the piece Coinbase left out. A tokenized equity is a share represented as a blockchain token that can settle around the clock, outside the clearing infrastructure traditional brokers use. Grose said the company chose conventional shares to deliver immediate value and intends to work with UK policymakers before introducing tokenized versions, a notable choice given how loudly the industry has promoted them.
Another job for USDC
Letting customers buy Apple or Nvidia with a stablecoin balance quietly strengthens the most valuable relationship in Coinbase’s business. Circle confirmed during its second-quarter earnings call on Aug. 5 that its collaboration agreement with Coinbase renewed on existing terms through 2029, and reported $73.3 billion of USDC in circulation at quarter end. Roughly 30% of that sat on Coinbase, which earns a share of the reserve income those balances generate.
Every additional reason to hold USDC inside the app is therefore worth money to both companies. Circle has spent the year building regulated infrastructure to support that position, including the New York trust charter it won this month. Whether UK retail investors, who buy shares at lower rates than Americans, respond to a stock button inside a crypto app is the open question the next two quarters will answer.
Frequently asked questions
Can UK users buy US stocks with crypto on Coinbase?
Not directly with bitcoin or ether. Coinbase supports funding in pounds or in USDC, its partner stablecoin, so a customer holding other tokens would need to convert them to USDC or GBP first. Balances stay inside the Coinbase app throughout, without a transfer to a separate broker.
Is Coinbase UK stock trading regulated?
CB Payments Ltd is authorized and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority for investment services and electronic money activities, under the UK MiFID licence Coinbase obtained in July. Orders are executed by Apex and the underlying shares are custodied by Apex Clearing in the United States. Capital remains at risk.
Are these tokenized stocks?
No. Coinbase is offering conventional U.S. shares held through a U.S. clearing firm, not blockchain-based tokens. Grose said Coinbase views tokenized equities as part of the future of financial markets but plans to work with UK regulators before launching them.
