Coinbase, a prominent cryptocurrency exchange, made two attempts to acquire FTX Europe, with the intention of expanding its derivatives business internationally.
However, it has now been revealed that Coinbase has decided against pursuing this acquisition, as reported by Cointelegraph.
These acquisition endeavors occurred in November 2022, shortly after FTX’s parent company experienced a significant setback, and again in September 2023.
A spokesperson from Coinbase confirmed the reports, stating, “We’re always evaluating opportunities to strategically expand our business and meet with many teams around the world.”
Besides Coinbase, other entities expressing interest in acquiring FTX Europe include Crypto.com and Trek Labs.
The sale deadline for FTX Europe has been extended until September 24. FTX had previously invested nearly $400 million in its European branch.
FTX Europe conducted its derivatives trading activities under a regulatory license from Cyprus. At the time of its parent company’s downfall, it was the sole provider of several popular derivatives products, including perpetual futures.
Derivatives are financial instruments whose value is derived from an underlying asset, such as Bitcoin (BTC).
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They encompass various types, including options, futures, and swaps, and are commonly used by investors for hedging, leverage, and market speculation, making them a favored strategy among traders and institutional investors.
The potential acquisition of FTX Europe could have significantly boosted Coinbase’s fee revenue, given the growing popularity of crypto derivatives trading, even during bear markets.
Coinbase’s latest quarterly earnings report revealed $707 million in revenue for the second quarter of 2023, with $327 million attributed to spot trading—a 13% decline from the previous quarter.
Simultaneously, global derivatives trading volumes on centralized exchanges experienced a 13.7% surge in June, reaching $2.13 trillion, as per CCData.
Binance emerged as the leading platform for cryptocurrency derivatives trading, with a trading volume exceeding $1.21 trillion in June, followed by OKX exchange at $416 billion, marking a 44.9% increase in activity.
Bitcoin futures trading also spiked on the CME exchange, reaching $37.9 billion, a 28.6% increase in the same month.
Notably, Coinbase has also ventured into the derivatives markets in the United States. In August, it received regulatory approval to offer crypto futures investments to eligible customers in the country.
This approval enabled Coinbase to introduce Bitcoin and Ether (ETH) futures contracts through its Commodity Futures Trading Commission-regulated derivatives exchange, FairX.
The global crypto derivatives market, according to Coinbase, represents nearly 75% of crypto trading volume worldwide and serves as a critical access point for traders.
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