Major U.S. crypto exchange Coinbase is making a measured return to India, two years after pulling out of the market.
According to a Sunday report from TechCrunch, Coinbase has reopened app registrations in India as it prepares to introduce local fiat on-ramps in 2026, Coinbase APAC director John O’Loghlen said during India Blockchain Week (IBW).
The move marks Coinbase’s first major step back into India since it halted local services in September 2023, following difficulties with its original 2022 product launch.
“We previously had millions of customers in India, and we made the deliberate decision to fully off-board them from our overseas entities,” O’Loghlen said. “We wanted a clean slate as we re-enter the market.”
Crypto-to-crypto trading resumes
With customer onboarding now restarted, Indian users can immediately access crypto-to-crypto trading, TechCrunch reported. Coinbase had already begun rebuilding its presence through an early-access program launched in October, shortly after hiring Karan Malik as its new India marketing lead.
Malik previously led marketing efforts for last year’s IBW event, where Coinbase returned this year as a platinum sponsor.
“Last year, I was driving the marketing and brand strategy for IBW. This year, I’m bringing Coinbase to the party,” he said.
Coinbase steps up its India engagement
The exchange has been intensifying efforts to rebuild ties with Indian authorities. Earlier in December, Coinbase’s international policy adviser Katie Mitch appeared before India’s Parliamentary Standing Committee on Finance.
“We’re optimistic about the potential for progressive VDA regulation in India,” she wrote on X last Thursday.
Separately, Karnataka’s IT minister Priyank Kharge signed an MoU with Coinbase India last week aimed at strengthening the state’s position in blockchain innovation and cybersecurity.
Through the partnership, Karnataka’s government will work with Coinbase on startup incubation using the Coinbase-backed Base protocol and accelerate real-world blockchain applications, the minister said.
As noted earlier, Coinbase obtained a license from India’s Financial Intelligence Unit in March 2025, laying the groundwork for a potential full-scale launch in the country. In August, Coinbase chief legal officer Paul Grewal also met with Karnataka IT minister Priyank Kharge to discuss collaboration on developer tools, cybersecurity, and blockchain-based governance.
