Coinbase says its Australian subsidiary has received an Australian Financial Services License from the Australian Securities and Investments Commission, with authorization to offer retail derivatives. The company framed the approval as a first for a crypto exchange receiving that approval directly from ASIC.

What Coinbase Is Launching

In its announcement, Coinbase said the new license gives it the regulatory footing to bring the first pieces of its "Everything Exchange" strategy to Australia. The initial lineup is expected to include crypto perpetuals and equity perpetuals, with options planned later.

Bloomberg reported that Coinbase also wants to expand into payments and stock trading in Australia. Those products are not live yet, but the license gives the company a pathway to position itself as a broader trading app rather than only a spot crypto venue.

Why It Matters

The move lands as Australia pushes toward a more formal licensing regime for digital asset platforms. Australian FinTech, citing Coinbase, said the AFSL arrived ahead of legislation that would require crypto exchanges to operate under the financial services licensing framework.

For Coinbase, the milestone gives it a cleaner regulatory story in a market where compliance posture increasingly matters as much as product breadth. For Australia, it is another sign that major exchanges expect the country to remain an important test case for regulated crypto derivatives outside the US.