Base

Major US cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase is returning to India after a two-year absence from the market.
Coinbase has resumed app registrations in India as it prepares to roll out local <a href="https://cointelegraph.com/explained/cryptocurrency-on-ramps-and-off-ramps-explained" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">fiat on-ramp</a>s in 2026, Coinbase APAC director John O’Loghlen announced at India Blockchain Week (IBW), <a href="https://techcrunch.com/2025/12/07/coinbase-starts-onboarding-users-again-in-india-plans-for-fiat-on-ramp-for-next-year/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">according</a> to a Sunday report by TechCrunch.
Coinbase’s return to India comes more than two years after it <a href="https://cointelegraph.com/news/coinbase-india-responds-to-rumors-ceasing-services" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">ceased local services</a> in September 2023, following a <a href="https://cointelegraph.com/news/coinbase-suspends-crypto-payment-services-days-after-india-launch" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">troubled debut of its local exchange</a> launched in 2022.
“We had millions of customers in India, historically, and we took a very clear stance to off-board those customers entirely from overseas entities, where they were domiciled and regulated. Because we wanted to kind of burn the boats, have a clean slate here,” O’Loghlen said.
<h2 id="crypto-to-crypto-trades-available-immediately">Crypto-to-crypto trades available immediately</h2>
As Coinbase resumes customer onboarding in India, users can immediately execute crypto-to-crypto trades, according to the report by TechCrunch.
The exchange initially began onboarding users through an early-access program in October, around the time it <a href="https://x.com/karanmalik6/status/1994423531724288004?s=20" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">hired</a> Karan Malik as its India marketing lead.
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 <img alt="Coinbase, India, Cryptocurrency Exchange, Policy" src="https://s3.cointelegraph.com/uploads/2025-12/019afd10-1d62-731b-bf6b-4dea5423c7ab" title="">
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 Source: Coinbase India marketing lead Karan Malik
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Malik had previously overseen marketing for last year’s IBW event, where Coinbase served as a platinum sponsor this year.
“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,” the exec said.
<h2 id="coinbase-ramps-up-push-in-india">Coinbase ramps up push in India</h2>
Coinbase has been actively working to rebuild its relationship with the Indian government. In early December, Coinbase’s international policy adviser Katie Mitch represented the exchange before India’s Parliamentary Standing Committee on Finance.
“We are optimistic on the potential for forward-looking VDA regulation in India,” she <a href="https://x.com/mitchadventures/status/1996781279199809594" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">said</a> in an X post last Thursday.
In another development last week, Priyank Kharge, IT minister for Karnataka, <a href="https://x.com/PriyankKharge/status/1996505215022055920" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">signed</a> a memorandum of understanding with Coinbase India to deepen the state’s leadership in blockchain innovation and cybersecurity.
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 <img src="https://s3.cointelegraph.com/uploads/2025-12/019afd0a-1c44-718a-8ece-f8875f8d0848" title="" alt="Coinbase mounts a cautious comeback in India, two years after exit">
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 Source: Karnataka IT minister Priyank Kharge
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Through the collaboration, the Karnataka government will collaborate with the exchange on startup incubation on Coinbase-backed Base protocol and speed up real-world applications of blockchain technology, the minister said.
Related: <a href="https://cointelegraph.com/news/coinbase-invests-in-indian-crypto-exchange-coindcx-at-2-45b-valuation" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Coinbase invests in Indian crypto exchange CoinDCX at $2.45B valuation</a>
As previously mentioned, <a href="https://cointelegraph.com/news/coinbase-invests-in-indian-crypto-exchange-coindcx-at-2-45b-valuation" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Coinbase secured a license</a> with India’s Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) in March 2025, positioning the exchange for a potential launch in the country. In August, Coinbase chief legal officer <a href="https://cointelegraph.com/news/coinbase-legal-team-meets-indian-minister-to-discuss-blockchain-growth" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Paul Grewal also met with Karnataka’s IT minister</a> Kharge to explore collaboration on developer tools, cybersecurity and blockchain in governance.
When approached by Cointelegraph about its relaunch in India, a Coinbase spokesperson said the exchange’s FIU registration in March allows it to offer crypto trading services in the country. The representative declined to provide further details at this time.
Magazine: <a href="https://cointelegraph.com/magazine/cryptos-impossible-choice-when-privacy-and-aml-laws-conflict/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_self">When privacy and AML laws conflict: Crypto projects’ impossible choice</a>

Coinbase mounts a cautious comeback in India, two years after exit

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