CFTC Approves Coinbase Clearing as Derivatives Clearing Organization

Coinbase said on Sept. 29 that the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) has approved Coinbase Clearing LLC’s registration as a Derivatives Clearing Organization (DCO). The company described Coinbase Clearing as the first clearinghouse to use USDC as its native collateral, supporting USDC collateralization and round-the-clock settlement. With the approval, Coinbase now has a CFTC-regulated derivatives stack spanning its brokerage unit Coinbase Financial Markets, its designated contract market Coinbase Derivatives, and its clearinghouse Coinbase Clearing. Coinbase said Coinbase Clearing will allow the platform to originate and settle fully collateralized contracts directly, speeding product development and improving operational efficiency. The company added that its margin derivatives business and planned individual stock perpetual contracts will continue to be partially supported by existing partners, while Coinbase works to further refine its product infrastructure and broaden access to regulated offerings.