TLDR
- Coinbase resumed Indian user onboarding in December 2025 following a two-year market exit
- Platform offers crypto-to-crypto trading only, with fiat currency features delayed until 2026
- Financial Intelligence Unit registration completed in 2024 enabled the market re-entry
- Exchange boosted CoinDCX stake and employs over 500 workers in India
- India’s 30% crypto tax and 1% transaction levy create challenging operating conditions
Coinbase flipped the switch on India registrations again. The exchange disappeared from the country in 2023 but started letting users back in last month.
John O’Loghlen announced the news at India Blockchain Week. The APAC director confirmed full access after an October pilot program.
Right now, it’s crypto-only trading. Users swap between digital assets without touching fiat currency.
Rupee deposits and withdrawals aren’t happening yet. Coinbase penciled those in for sometime next year.
The original India launch fell apart quickly. Coinbase tried using the Unified Payments Interface in 2022.
That lasted about three days. The National Payments Corporation refused to back the integration publicly.
Coinbase pulled out completely by September 2023. The platform kicked millions of users off and went dark.
Regulatory Compliance Path
O’Loghlen called the comeback a fresh start. Coinbase talked directly with the Financial Intelligence Unit instead of rushing in.
The FIU watches crypto transactions for money laundering red flags. Getting registered there was mandatory for any relaunch.
Coinbase wrapped up FIU approval earlier this year. That greenlight let them test the waters with select users in October.
The full rollout happened after that trial period ended. Now anyone in India can sign up and start trading crypto pairs.
India’s tax structure makes life hard for exchanges. Profits get hit with a flat 30% rate no matter what.
You can’t write off losses against gains. Then there’s a 1% fee on every single trade that tanks activity.
Market Commitment Grows
The regulatory chaos hasn’t stopped Coinbase from spending. The company’s venture division just raised its CoinDCX ownership stake.
That investment valued the local platform at $2.45 billion. The deal closed in October as part of a broader regional push.
Coinbase keeps more than 500 people on payroll in India. They build products for both local users and global customers.
Crypto Activity Thrives
India topped global adoption charts again this year. TRM Labs put it first for the third straight time, ahead of the U.S. and Brazil.
The trading volume potential drew other big players back too. Bybit turned its app back on in September for Indian downloads.
Binance walked back in during August 2024. That return cost them a $2.25 million fine to settle regulatory issues.
Coinbase’s timeline for fiat integration holds at 2026. Until then, the platform handles only cryptocurrency-to-cryptocurrency transactions for Indian traders.
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