Coinbase has expanded its “Everything Exchange” programs in Canada, bringing token shares, traditional financial products, and blockchain-based services closer to one platform for local users.
Summary
- Coinbase plans to bring its Everything Exchange platform to Canada with tokenized shares and traditional financial products.
- The exchange is working with Canadian regulators as they prepare to launch token shares to customers outside the United States.
- Coinbase says Canada’s stablecoin regulations could support new payment products and faster cross-border transactions.
BNN Bloomberg reported that Coinbase is preparing to launch its “Everything Exchange” strategy in Canada, a move that could expand the crypto exchange beyond digital asset trading and a platform where customers can manage multiple financial products from a single application.
Eric Richmond, country director and CEO of Coinbase Canada, told the outlet that the company’s first phase in the country is focused on creating a regulated crypto exchange. The next phase, he said, is focused on giving Canadians access to comprehensive financial information powered by blockchain technology.
“If you think about our current financial sector and system today, it really needs to be improved. And Coinbase believes that we have a new technology here that can really help with that, and that is blockchain and the technology that supports crypto today,” said Richmond.
While Coinbase has not announced when the service will launch in Canada, Richmond said the company is working with Canadian regulators as it prepares for the rollout.
“I think the first chapter of Coinbase in Canada was about crypto exchanges,” Richmond said.
“But now the second phase of that is the Everything Exchange. How do we create that one place for Canadians to have their financial information in one application supported by this technology that makes things consistent, seamless, and 24/7?”
The Canadian expansion follows Coinbase’s recent efforts to integrate crypto trading with traditional financial products. During its System Update event in June, the company introduced its SEC-registered AI investment advisor, announced AI agents capable of executing trades on behalf of users, and unveiled plans for stock options, prediction markets, pre-IPO investment products and token shares as part of its Everything Exchange strategy.
Token stocks are getting closer to launch
Another product expected to reach customers soon is tokenized stocks.
Richmond told BNN Bloomberg that Coinbase intends to begin offering token shares to customers outside the United States later this month. Unlike synthetic products, Coinbase has said that the asset will represent ownership backed one-by-one by underlying shares, giving investors access to the shares and voting rights of shareholders.
“I think this is something really unique and novel and exciting,” Richmond said.
He added that Coinbase expects blockchain-based assets to perform more like traditional equities while making certain currencies more accessible.
“It gives more people access to certain types of stocks. It improves securities management, so there’s a lot of good there,” he said.
According to Richmond, companies don’t necessarily need to issue blockchain-native shares themselves. Instead, sellers or merchants can tokenize existing shares while preserving the underlying ownership rights. He added that other companies are also interested in issuing tokenized versions of their stock.
Coinbase first unveiled its tokenized stock initiative in June, saying the products would be backed one-to-one by actual shares instead of acting as derivatives or IOUs. The company has since positioned token shares as one of the core products within its Everything Exchange platform.
Stablecoin rules are always the missing piece
Besides token shares, Coinbase is also looking at Canada’s regulatory approach to stablecoins before launching additional payment products.
The exchange is primarily backed by the USD Coin (USDC), a stablecoin backed by the US dollar that maintains a one-to-one peg to the dollar. Richmond said Coinbase currently does not list a major stablecoin for the Canadian dollar because no existing token meets the listing standards required by Canadian regulators.
Richmond said the proposed stablecoin legislation would allow digital Canadian dollars to be regulated as payment instruments instead of investments, which would improve user confidence and encourage wider adoption.
“That’s what the Stablecoin Act is really about: making sure we regulate stablecoins as payments, not as investments here in the country, so people can feel comfortable and confident when they’re dealing with Canadian stablecoins,” Richmond said.
He added that regulated stablecoins can reduce the cost and time required for cross-border transfers because payments settle almost immediately instead of taking days through traditional banking infrastructure.
Supporting the industry’s growth, Richmond cited nearly 1.8 trillion in stablecoin transactions in June, saying the figure represented a 125% increase from the same month last year.
He also acknowledged that regulation has struggled to keep up with new developments but said the government’s recent efforts regarding stablecoin legislation are encouraging.
Expansion continues in international markets
The Canadian plans come amid a period of rapid international expansion for Coinbase.
Earlier this month, the company received approval under the European Union’s Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) framework through Luxembourg, allowing it to offer regulated crypto services in all 27 EU member states, as well as Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway. The approval also came as several exchanges without MiCA licenses downgraded or suspended services in parts of Europe after the bloc’s reforms expired.
Coinbase has also been paving its way in Asia. As previously reported by crypto.news, the exchange has simplified identity verification for mainland Chinese users by allowing the registration of Chinese national IDs and mainland residential addresses instead of requiring a Chinese passport and a Hong Kong address. Although Coinbase did not describe the change as a return to the Chinese market, investors viewed the simplified onboarding process as a step that could make the platform more accessible to users in the region.
Back in Canada, Richmond said Coinbase expects competition from traditional brokerages and financial platforms to expand as blockchain-based financial services become more widely available.
“A rising tide lifts all boats,” Richmond said.
He pointed out that many Canadians are questioning why financial markets and banks continue to operate during limited business hours while blockchain networks remain available around the clock.
“I think people are starting to realize the fact that banks close at 4 p.m., or markets close at 4 p.m., or that cables can take days to be fixed, or that high-net-worth people’s access to certain products is gated to those high-net-worth people,” Richmond said.
Looking ahead, Richmond said his priority next year is to expand the range of products available to Canadian customers, allowing them to access more financial services through a single Coinbase platform instead of using different providers.
