Coinbase

Coinbase is among the few cryptocurrency exchanges in the world that is listed on the Nasdaq stock exchange and whose shares are publicly traded. This exchange operates with extreme legality and transparency, and is licensed to operate in almost every U.S. state.

• BitLicense from the New York Department of Financial Services (NYDFS)

• Registered with FinCEN (USA)

• Registered with the FCA (UK)

• Compliant with EU MiCA regulations (as of 2024)

Coinbase holds Money Transmitter licenses in nearly every U.S. state, with the license issued in all 50 states according to the list. This means that Coinbase is fully approved by the U.S. financial system from a legal standpoint.

Global Ranking and Standing of the Coinbase Exchange

Coinbase is ranked fourth in the CoinGecko rankings and has earned a perfect trust score of 10 out of 10. Interestingly, only the world's three largest exchanges—Binance, Gate, and OKX—rank higher than Coinbase in terms of trading volume.

Furthermore, in the CoinMarketCap rankings, Coinbase holds the third position.

Coinbase offers a wide range of peripheral services:

• Coinbase One (Premium Subscription): Price €4.99–€249.99/month - Fee-free trading up to €10,000/month (Preferred plan) or unlimited (Premium plan) - 24/7 support

• Coinbase Card: Visa debit card - Up to 4% Bitcoin rewards - Spend cryptocurrency at retail stores

• Coinbase Wallet: Decentralized - Supports 10,000+ assets - Self-custody of private keys

• Staking: 14+ assets (ETH, SOL, ADA, ATOM, DOT, AVAX, and other leading networks) - Variable APY based on the network - 10-35% commission on rewards - Slashing protection - Multi-regional infrastructure

• Coinbase Earn: Free education - Earn free crypto

• NFT Marketplace: Buy and sell - Ethereum, Solana, Polygon

• Coinbase Prime: Institutional services - Deep liquidity

Yes, due to international US sanctions and OFAC regulations, Coinbase does not provide services to citizens and residents of Iran, and using a VPN to circumvent these restrictions will result in the suspension of the user account.

Geographic and Access Restrictions:

• Non-provision of services to Iran, Cuba, Syria, North Korea, and Russia

• Lack of support for the UAE, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, the Philippines, South Africa, and Colombia due to local regulations

• Account suspension if a VPN is used to bypass sanctions

Staking Restrictions in the United States:

• Inability to initiate new staking in California, Maryland, New Jersey, and Wisconsin

• Continuation of existing staking without the possibility of re-staking rewards in the aforementioned states

• Staking in Washington remains active but is under review by local regulators

Futures and Leverage Trading Restrictions:

• Access limited only to US users via Coinbase Financial Markets

• Maximum leverage up to 10x for cryptocurrencies and up to 20x for metals

• Higher leverage trading hours limited to 22 hours per day, from 6 PM to 4 PM US Eastern Time

• Position size limits based on user income and net worth

Identity Verification (KYC) Restrictions:

• Requirement to provide valid government-issued documents

• Non-acceptance of certain documents such as passports or health cards in specific regions