Coinbase is shaking up the U.S. crypto trading scene with the long-awaited launch of perpetual futures contracts for American users. Starting July 21, eligible customers in the U.S. can now trade nano Bitcoin (BTC-PERP) and nano Ether (ETH-PERP) perpetual futures directly through their Coinbase Financial Markets account.
Announced Monday, the move marks a major milestone for Coinbase and the broader U.S. crypto derivatives market. Until now, perpetual futures one of the most popular and high-volume trading products globally were only available to Coinbase users outside the United States. But that’s changing fast.
“The wait is over – Perpetual futures have arrived in the U.S.,” Coinbase declared on X (formerly Twitter).
These new contracts are regulated by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), and bring a level of compliance and credibility to a product that dominates the crypto world. Perpetual futures allow traders to gain exposure to crypto prices with up to 10x leverage, all without any expiration date a key difference from traditional futures.
Unlike regular futures contracts that expire monthly or quarterly, Coinbase’s new offerings come with long-dated expirations up to five years. This offers traders greater flexibility while still allowing them to manage their positions like a typical perpetual swap.
With fees as low as 0.02%, and built-in leverage, these contracts offer serious capital efficiency. However, Coinbase also reminds users to approach leveraged trading with caution. While leverage can amplify gains, it can just as easily magnify losses.
This U.S. rollout follows a growing trend of regulatory openness toward crypto derivatives, highlighted by recent developments like Kraken’s launch of its own regulated derivatives platform and the passage of a major stablecoin bill. With the market warming up again, Coinbase’s entry into regulated perps could help fuel the next phase of crypto adoption in America.
For now, access is limited to users who open a Coinbase Financial Markets account, but it signals a big shift: the world’s most popular crypto derivatives product has officially landed stateside.
