Businesses interested in a Coinbase Business account for Coinbase Exchange, Coinbase Prime, or Coinbase Custody will need to submit an application for review. Please see below for our most frequently asked questions:
General Questions
What is required to apply?
Generally, we'll ask for information about your business, your intended use of the Coinbase trading or Custody platform, and the ownership of your business.
To apply for a Coinbase Business Account, please visit our Coinbase Business Application Center. You can always save your application progress and return to it at any time to complete.
How is my information kept secure?
Coinbase is a registered MSB in the US, and registered as an electronic money institution by the Financial Conduct Authority in the UK (Firm Reference Number: 900635).
In the UK, we are registered with the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) to handle personal information. Our registration number is ZA183172. As such, we are committed to keeping your personal information safe and never sell data to third parties. For more information, please see the Coinbase Privacy Policy.
Can I apply using my 401K?
You can only use your 401K to apply if the 401K is officially registered as a business.
Filling out the Application
Your Business
What legal entity name should I put in my application?
The legal entity name should:
Match the name of the entity that will use the Coinbase Business account
Match the formal registration documentation for the legal entity
Match the name on the business bank account you will use to fund your account with Coinbase, otherwise you may experience issues when funding your account
Why would I enter a "Doing Business As" name?
Your business is registered under name A, but your business operates using name B (i.e. has business accounts listed under name B). Please provide any other names, such as trade names or product names that are used.
What is my place of business operations?
Address where your business operates. This could be a main office, headquarters, or any location where you have operations.
What is my country/state of incorporation?
Country where your business is registered. You will likely have a formation or registration document issued from this country/state.
Coinbase Products
How do I choose the Coinbase entity?
For Coinbase Prime and Custody, your legal entity will determine what features you'll get on the trading platform, including trading pairs. If you're operating out of the United States, choose Coinbase Custody Trust Company, LLC, and if you're operating out of a different country, please choose Coinbase Custody International, Ltd.
When specifying the email address I'd like to be associated with my Coinbase trading account, can I use the same email that I use for my personal account?
No, this will be a new, separate account for your business and requires a unique email address for login.
Verify your Business
What is a PEP?
A politically exposed person (PEP) is an individual who is or has been entrusted with a prominent public function. A PEP generally presents a higher risk for potential involvement in bribery and corruption by virtue of their position and the influence that they may hold.
Who will need to provide a W8 tax document?
We will ask for a W8 from any non-US incorporated businesses who apply.
I'm in the process of registering my business so don't have the registration documents yet, can I still apply?
Your business must be fully registered with your documents available to provide in the application to be eligible for an account.
Verify team
Why does the application ask for the individuals with managerial control of my business?Coinbase is subject to regulations that require us to collect and verify information about our customers. This includes directors, officers, and beneficial owners for our business customers.
How do I determine which individuals have managerial control (i.e. Managers, Directors) of my business?
This should typically be someone from your leadership team which, for most entities, is an officer such as the CEO, COO, CFO. For other types of entities this may be Presidents, Directors, or Officers
If you are onboarding to the US entity, please provide the details for at least 1 officer
If you are onboarding to the UK entity, please provide a list of ALL officers or directors
How do I determine what individual owners I need to provide information for?
Individual direct owners who own 25% or more of your business directly
Individual owners who indirectly own 25% or more of your business
For example: Your business is 100% owned by a parent company, which is in turn owned by 2 holding companies, at 50% each. The first holding company is owned 100% by Individual A. The second holding company is owned by Individuals B, C and E, at 33% each. Of these individual owners, Individual A owns 50% of your business. Individuals B, C and E only own 16.7% of your business (each owns 33% of a 50% owner of your business). So, on your application, only Individual A owns 25% or more of your business.
Please note, this does not apply to trusts.
What to Expect After Submission
When will I know if my application has been approved?
You can always check your application's status in the Business Application Center. Once approved, we will email you via the email address used to submit the application.
Can I add more than one user to my account?
For trading, multi-user access for businesses is not yet available. For Custody, you can add multiple users. You will manage all profiles and user types within the Custody platform.
How can I fund my account?
For more information, please visit our other help pages.