Coinbase files for SEC approval to offer equity perpetuals

Sept 3 (Reuters) - Coinbase has filed registration documents with the U.S. Securities and Exchange ‌Commission to offer equity perpetuals, the ‌crypto exchange's chief policy officer said in a social ​media post on Thursday.

• Perpetuals, also called "perps" are derivative contracts that track underlying assets and do not expire, allowing traders ‌to hold positions ⁠indefinitely without the need for a roll-over.

• The product will need a ⁠Commodity Futures Trading Commission approval next, Chief Policy Officer Faryar Shirzad said in a post ​on X.

• "Equity ​perps have proven demand ​internationally, and we're ‌excited at the prospect of a regulated pathway for U.S. investors," Shirzad said.

• The crypto exchange received CFTC approval alongside prediction markets platform Kalshi to offer perpetual crypto futures earlier this ‌year.

• Kalshi filed for ​CFTC approval to launch equity ​index perpetuals, ​putting it in more direct competition ‌with incumbent exchanges.

• The regulator's ​greenlight has ​weighed on the sentiment in exchange stocks in the first half of the year, ​which are ‌recovering from a selloff in the first ​half.

(Reporting by Utkarsh Shetti in Bengaluru; ​Editing by Shailesh Kuber)