Key Insights
- Coinbase has resumed app registrations in India after a two-year absence and plans to introduce local fiat on-ramps in 2026, according to comments made at India Blockchain Week.
- Users in India can immediately access crypto-to-crypto trading as Coinbase rebuilds its presence through new hires, government outreach and partnerships, including a recent MoU with Karnataka’s IT minister.
- Following its FIU registration in March 2025, Coinbase is strengthening regulatory and policy engagement as it prepares for a full relaunch, though the company has not disclosed further details publicly.
NEW DELHI — Major U.S. cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase is re-entering the Indian market after a two-year absence, reopening app registrations and preparing to launch local fiat on-ramps in 2026. The move, confirmed by Coinbase APAC director John O’Loghlen at India Blockchain Week (IBW), marks the company’s most significant push into the country since its troubled debut in 2022.
Coinbase halted local services in September 2023 after regulatory and banking hurdles derailed its earlier India launch. O’Loghlen said the exchange had “millions of customers” in the country but chose to off-board all Indian users from its overseas entities as part of a reset.
“We wanted to kind of burn the boats, have a clean slate here,” he said.
Crypto Trading Resumes as Coinbase Rebuilds Ties With Policymakers
With registrations now live again, Indian users can immediately conduct crypto-to-crypto trades, according to reporting from TechCrunch. Coinbase began reactivating access through an early-access program in October, shortly after appointing Karan Malik as its India marketing lead. Malik previously directed marketing for last year’s IBW event, where Coinbase returned this year as a platinum sponsor.
“Last year, I was leading the charge and building the marketing and brand playbook for IBW. This year, I’m bringing Coinbase to the party,” he said.
The company is also intensifying engagement with Indian authorities. In early December, Coinbase’s international policy adviser Katie Mitch appeared before the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Finance, later writing that the exchange is “optimistic on the potential for forward-looking VDA regulation in India.”
Further momentum came last week when Priyank Kharge, Karnataka’s IT minister, signed a memorandum of understanding with Coinbase India aimed at strengthening the state’s blockchain leadership and cybersecurity capabilities. The partnership includes collaboration on startup incubation via the Coinbase-backed Base protocol and efforts to accelerate real-world blockchain applications.
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Coinbase’s regulatory groundwork has been building for months. The exchange obtained a license from India’s Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) in March 2025, a key requirement for operating crypto trading services in the country. In August, chief legal officer Paul Grewal met with Minister Kharge to explore cooperation on developer tools, blockchain for governance and cybersecurity initiatives.