Coinbase is making a major move to bring stablecoins into the heart of U.S. financial markets, and CEO Brian Armstrong is putting USDC right at the center of that. Coinbase has just announced a new partnership with Nodal Clear, which will see them introduce USDC as margin collateral for regulated U.S. futures trading. The plan is to roll this out in 2025.
Armstrong called it a big deal, saying it would be the first time a regulated stablecoin had been used like this on the U.S. derivatives market.
Coinbase Custody Trust is backing the initiative for storage, and it is being developed under a multi-year agreement. The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) is also involved, showing that it is going to be regulated right from the start.
For Armstrong, this crypto product is a game-changer. It is all part of a bigger push to show that stablecoins, especially USDC, can be smoothly added to the financial infrastructure already in place.
The plan uses the transparency and reserve backing of USDC to offer faster settlement and more efficient collateral operations, without cutting corners on compliance or security.
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Nodal Clear, a CFTC-regulated clearinghouse under Deutsche Börse’s EEX Group, adds traditional market credibility to the effort. The firm’s institutional risk framework is expected to be a good fit for USDC, especially as demand grows for more flexible and always-on collateral options.
This timing lines up with ongoing chats in Congress that could eventually see stablecoins like USDC classified as cash equivalents. Meanwhile, the CFTC is still looking into how digital assets can be used in different situations.
Coinbase’s partnership with Nodal Clear might just set the stage for these assets to be used more widely in the financial system.
