Coinbase, the biggest US-based cryptocurrency change, has resumed consumer onboarding in India after a two-year pause.
This return follows sustained engagement with Indian regulators. Regardless of heavy taxes and regulatory friction, India continues to indicate speedy development in digital asset adoption.
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Coinbase Reopens Doorways to Indian Customers
Coinbase initially launched in India in April 2022, focusing on a rising crypto consumer base. Nonetheless, regulatory headwinds emerged shortly.
The platform suspended assist for the Unified Funds Interface (UPI) shortly after the Nationwide Funds Company of India (NPCI) distanced itself from the platform. By September 2023, Coinbase had stopped accepting new Indian sign-ups and instructed current customers to withdraw their balances.
Regardless of this setback, the corporate continued working to reestablish its presence in India. In February, BeInCrypto reported that the change had begun actively working with Indian regulators to align with native compliance necessities.
In keeping with TechCrunch, Coinbase started permitting Indian customers to return to the platform in October by means of an early-access program. The app registration has now been opened extensively, though Indian prospects are nonetheless restricted to crypto-to-crypto transactions.
Throughout India Blockchain Week, Coinbase’s APAC director, John O’Loghlen, mentioned the corporate is making ready to introduce a fiat on-ramp in 2026, which might enable customers so as to add native foreign money and buy cryptocurrency immediately.
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“We had hundreds of thousands of consumers in India, traditionally, and we took a really clear stance to off-board these prospects totally from abroad entities, the place they have been domiciled and controlled. As a result of we needed to sort of burn the boats [sic], have a clear slate right here. As a industrial enterprise individual desirous to make cash and lively customers, that’s just like the worst factor you are able to do, and so it wasn’t with out some hesitation,” O’Loghlen acknowledged.
Coinbase’s reentry is broader than simply platform entry. In October 2025, it introduced a strategic funding in CoinDCX, certainly one of India’s largest crypto change, which serves over 20.4 million customers.†
Final week, it signed a memorandum of understanding with Karnataka’s state authorities to strengthen the state’s blockchain ecosystem and technical capabilities. The partnership facilities on developer coaching, early-stage startup incubation, and public consciousness initiatives.
Why Exchanges Are Dashing Again Into India’s Crypto Market
Along with Coinbase, a number of different main world exchanges have returned to the Indian market. Bybit resumed operations after finishing native registration necessities and paying a $1 million penalty. Binance additionally made its means again into India final yr following the cost of a $2.2 million advantageous.
This renewed push to function in India is notable given the nation’s strict tax regime. Crypto positive aspects are taxed at 30%, and each transaction carries a 1% Tax Deducted at Supply (TDS). Nonetheless, India leads Asia-Pacific in crypto exercise.
“India, the biggest at $338 billion, blends grassroots adoption with structural gaps in finance: a big diaspora has remittance wants, younger adults are utilizing crypto buying and selling as a supplementary earnings, and fintech rails like UPI and eRupi speed up utilization,” Chainalysis highlighted.
Thus, whereas India’s regulatory setting stays difficult, the renewed curiosity from Coinbase, Binance, Bybit, and others highlights the market’s long-term potential. With sturdy grassroots adoption and ongoing authorities engagement, India is positioning itself as a central hub for digital asset innovation within the Asia-Pacific area.