Coinbase opens 4,000 US stocks to UK customers
Since 6 August 2026, UK users can trade nearly 4,000 US stocks in the Coinbase app, 24 hours a day, five days a week, with no commission. The EU is not included yet. One detail matters: your shares sit under US protection, not the UK FSCS.
Coinbase opened trading in US stocks to UK customers on 6 August 2026. Nearly 4,000 names, no commission per trade, and a five-day-a-week window that runs around the clock rather than only during New York hours. Fractional shares start at £1, but only during the regular US session; outside it you buy whole shares.
The foundation is a licence. CB Payments Ltd, the UK subsidiary, obtained a full MiFID investment services authorisation from the FCA in July 2026, register number 1045733, on top of its existing e-money licence and cryptoasset registration. Without that third permission this product would not have been allowed.
What it is, and what it is not
This is not a European launch. The EU is outside it today; Coinbase says products for both the UK and the EU will follow in the coming months, but there is no date. If you live in the Netherlands, Belgium or Germany, there is nothing here for you yet.
The second point matters more and gets too little attention in most coverage: custody runs through the United States. Apex Clearing Corporation, a US broker-dealer, holds the shares. Coinbase Capital Markets Corp. routes the orders there. That means your stock falls under the US SIPC scheme, up to 500,000 dollars (roughly €437,500) per account of which at most 250,000 dollars (roughly €218,750) in cash. The UK FSCS protection of £85,000 does not apply here. The amount is higher, the scheme is a different one, and the firm that would have to fail sits in another jurisdiction.
For comparison: sterling you hold in a savings balance at ClearBank through Coinbase is fully covered by the FSCS. And your crypto balance is covered by neither. That is three different levels of protection inside one app.
The cost picture
Zero commission really is zero commission, but it is not the whole bill. US-listed stocks carry no UK stamp duty reserve tax, so the 0.5 per cent you pay on a UK share falls away. Against that, a currency spread enters the picture the moment you buy in sterling, and dividends on US stocks are generally subject to US withholding tax. USDC can serve directly as collateral within the Apex ledger, so that route needs no conversion. Coinbase One subscribers earn uncapped rewards on USDC used in trades.
What this means for you
If you live in the UK and are considering this, look past the zero commission. Ask yourself whether you are comfortable with your securities being held in the United States under US law, because that is the real trade. Work through the currency side before you move an entire portfolio, and remember that trading outside the regular session means thinner order books and wider spreads, even though the market is open.
If you live in the EU, this is mainly a signal. The direction is clear: exchanges are building towards securities, and the moment this arrives on the continent on a MiCA and MiFID footing, the comparison between a crypto platform and a traditional broker changes fundamentally. Wait for the details of the European version before drawing conclusions, because the custody structure there will almost certainly differ from the one described above.
Sources: Coinbase (announcement 6 August 2026), FCA register (CB Payments Ltd, number 1045733), TechTimes (6 August 2026), CoinDesk (6 August 2026). Last checked: 7 August 2026.