Coinbase

Coinbase is a U.S.–based cryptocurrency exchange founded in 2012 by Brian Armstrong and Fred Ehrsam to make it easy to buy Bitcoin with fiat currency. Headquartered in San Francisco and publicly listed on Nasdaq under the ticker “COIN” since 2021, it has grown into one of the largest global platforms for retail and institutional crypto trading. Users can purchase Bitcoin instantly with bank transfers, debit cards, ACH, and SEPA; trade more than 250 digital assets through its basic interface or Advanced Trade; and store coins in the integrated Coinbase Wallet or institutional-grade Coinbase Custody. As a regulated financial services company, Coinbase is registered with FinCEN as a Money Services Business, holds money-transmitter licenses in nearly every U.S. state, and operates under a BitLicense and trust charter from the New York State Department of Financial Services. Digital assets are held in segregated cold-storage with a commercial crime insurance policy, while U.S. dollar balances are covered by FDIC pass-through insurance up to $250,000. Additional services include staking, the USDC stablecoin partnership with Circle, crypto-backed Visa cards, and an API suite that powers thousands of third-party apps, making Coinbase a highly regulated, beginner-friendly gateway for buying and holding Bitcoin.