Coinbase Seeks SEC Approval for Equity Perpetual Futures in US Market

Coinbase has filed notice-registration documents with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to offer equity perpetual futures in the US. This move marks a key step in bringing these contracts to the US derivatives exchange, but it is not yet a confirmation that they are available for trading. Equity perpetuals differ from conventional futures contracts as they have no expiry date.

The company already offers international contracts linked to stocks like Apple, Microsoft, Nvidia, and Amazon. However, before these products can be launched in the US, Coinbase would need approval from the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), according to Reuters. The SEC filing alone does not authorize a US customer launch.

On September 3, Chief Policy Officer Faryar Shirzad disclosed the filing on Twitter, saying that Coinbase had submitted the documents to begin bringing equity perpetuals to its US derivatives exchange. This represents an opening step in the process, and concerns products distinct from Coinbase's existing range of crypto derivatives.

The launch of these contracts would provide institutional investors with access to global liquidity under CFTC guidance, as revealed on May 29 when Coinbase said Coinbase Financial Markets became a U.S.-regulated futures commission merchant. The SEC notice-registration documents mark the start of Coinbase's stated effort to bring equity perpetuals to the US market.