Deribit has received a Broker Dealer Licence from Dubai’s Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority, adding a new regulatory approval to its spot trading operations in the emirate. The company said the licence will allow it to route spot orders through Coinbase Exchange, expanding the execution options available on its platform.
The change gives Deribit access to Coinbase’s centralized orderbook alongside its existing setup. According to the company’s described plan, that should broaden the range of digital assets available to clients and improve trading conditions through deeper liquidity and potentially tighter spreads.
New approval builds on existing Dubai licence
Deribit was already offering spot trading under a VARA Exchange Service licence it obtained in January 2025. The newly secured Broker Dealer Licence adds another layer to that business by permitting the exchange to connect client spot orders to Coinbase Exchange.
In practical terms, the approval strengthens Deribit’s regulated presence in Dubai, where it has operated its global headquarters under VARA supervision since early 2025. The latest step is focused specifically on expanding how spot trades can be executed.
Coinbase orderbook added to execution options
With the new licence in place, Deribit can incorporate Coinbase’s centralized orderbook into its spot execution framework. The company said it will continue to run its own internal spot orderbook for selected assets, rather than replacing it entirely.
Deribit presented the addition as a way to improve market depth and execution quality. The expected benefits cited in the source include tighter spreads, better execution, and access to a wider set of digital assets for users of the platform.
Service aimed at multiple client groups
The expanded spot offering is intended for retail, qualified and institutional investors. Deribit also said that assets purchased through the service could be used as collateral for derivatives trading, although that remains subject to regulatory approval.
That detail links the company’s spot and derivatives businesses more closely, while preserving the caveat that not every part of the proposed workflow is automatically available without further regulatory sign-off.
Broader Coinbase-Deribit connection comes into view
The move also underlines the operational ties between Coinbase and Deribit. The source article says Coinbase acquired Deribit, bringing the derivatives platform into its wider crypto trading operations.
Coin Edition framed the new Dubai approval as a development that could further support Dubai’s role as a regulated center for institutional digital-asset trading. The confirmed next step is the rollout of spot order routing through Coinbase Exchange under the authority of Deribit’s new VARA broker-dealer licence.
Source: Coin Edition