Today, on June 7, Coinbase has announced that it is on track to operate a regulated broker-dealer, pending approval by federal authorities. If approved, Coinbase will soon be capable of offering blockchain-based securities, under the oversight of the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA). This step forward is being made possible because Coinbase has acquired a broker-dealer license (B-D), an alternative trading system license (ATS), and a registered investment advisor (RIA) license.
If approved, these licenses will help Coinbase to offer its clients services that include crypto securities trading, margin and over-the-counter (OTC) trading, and new market data products.
«Ultimately, we can envision a world where we may even work with regulators to tokenize existing types of securities, bringing to this space the benefits of cryptocurrency-based markets – like 24/7 trading, real-time settlement, and chain-of-title. We believe this will democratize access to capital markets for companies and investors alike, lowering costs for all participants and bringing additional transparency and inclusion to the ecosystem», – writes Coinbase in the announcement.
In the middle of May Coinbase announced the suite of institutional products, which includes Coinbase Custody, Coinbase Markets, Coinbase Prime and Institutional Coverage Group.