Coinbase.com is a centralized crypto exchange that holds your cryptocurrency or ‘digital assets’ for you. When you buy, receive, or hold digital assets using a Coinbase.com account, they are securely stored or ‘custodied’ for your benefit in a hosted digital asset wallet. At all times, these assets are yours – they never belong to Coinbase.
Our platform is built to secure your digital assets while ensuring that they remain readily available for trading and other services that we provide. This help page explains how we achieve this. However it is not a summary of, or a substitute for the user agreement, so please take the time to read that too!
The information on this page only applies to Coinbase.com accounts; it does not apply to Coinbase’s self-custody app, Coinbase Wallet. Self-custody wallets like Coinbase Wallet are different from hosted digital wallets on coinbase.com. We maintain the private keys to the hosted digital wallet assigned to you on coinbase.com. But on Coinbase Wallet, you, not Coinbase, are responsible for maintaining the private keys. If you want to learn more about Coinbase Wallet, then please follow this link.
Are my digital assets mine if Coinbase is holding them?
Yes! You own your digital assets just like you always have.
Our recent blog explains how we protect your funds. You can find more details in sections 2.7 to 2.7.4 of the Coinbase User Agreement.
Are my digital assets safe?
Our mission is to be the safest, most trusted, and most secure platform for accessing the broader cryptoeconomy. To uphold this mission, Coinbase takes extensive security measures to ensure your digital assets remain as safe as possible, including strategically storing a vast majority of assets offline in secure, guarded cold storage facilities. We employ best-in-class security practices to protect our systems and your assets, and offer an array of tools to users to further enhance the security of your Coinbase.com account.
Visit these links to learn more, including the proactive steps Coinbase is taking to protect your digital assets:
