Coinbase Chooses Abu Dhabi as Base for Global Tokenized Securities Push

Coinbase is establishing its international tokenization hub in Abu Dhabi after securing a Financial Services Permission from the Financial Services Regulatory Authority of Abu Dhabi Global Market. The approval allows the exchange to arrange investment deals and provide custody for tokenized securities, giving it a regulated base for bringing traditional financial assets onto blockchain networks outside the United States.

Digital Securities Backed by Real Shares

The company plans to use the license to offer digital securities backed by underlying shares, with the tokens registered and issued within Abu Dhabi Global Market under regulatory oversight. This move comes as tokenization gains momentum across traditional finance, with major asset managers and banks increasingly placing funds, bonds, and other financial instruments onto blockchain systems to enable faster settlement and broader accessibility.

Abu Dhabi’s Growing Role in Digital Finance

Abu Dhabi has positioned itself as a testing ground for blockchain-based finance, having introduced a regulatory framework for virtual assets years ago that has since drawn crypto and tokenization firms to the region. According to Coinbase Institutional leadership, no major financial center has yet built a framework treating tokenized equities as securities, blockchain native tokens, and decentralized finance assets all at once.

Coinbase already has ties to the region through earlier tokenization initiatives, including a partnership involving Abu Dhabi’s sovereign wealth fund. The new hub will operate alongside Coinbase’s existing derivatives business in Dubai, giving the exchange two operational bases in the UAE.