Coinbase has officially launched stock and exchange-traded fund (ETF) trading for all U.S. customers, marking a significant expansion beyond digital assets as part of its strategy to become an "everything exchange." This new offering allows users to buy and sell U.S.-listed stocks and ETFs on the same platform used for cryptocurrency. Trading is available 24 hours a day, five days a week, with no commission fees. Customers can fund trades using U.S. dollars or USDC and purchase fractional shares starting at just $1.
The move places Coinbase in direct competition with retail brokerages like Robinhood. This strategic shift aims to diversify Coinbase's business model, reducing its reliance on the volatile cryptocurrency market and potentially aligning its stock performance more closely with that of a diversified tech company. The expansion includes an agreement with Yahoo Finance, which will integrate a button allowing users to seamlessly transition from stock research to executing trades on Coinbase, alongside displaying real-time data from the exchange. Coinbase is partnering with Apex Fintech Solutions for clearing, custody, and execution services. The company plans to extend 24/5 trading to additional stocks and is exploring tokenized stocks for potential around-the-clock trading on blockchain networks.