Coinbase launches Canada’s first 10x leveraged Bitcoin contracts

Coinbase just became the first major exchange to offer regulated leveraged crypto derivatives to Canadian retail traders. The platform went live on September 2 with contracts covering Bitcoin, Ethereum, Solana, and 20 other digital assets, all with leverage options reaching up to 10x.

For Canadian crypto traders, this is a meaningful shift. Until now, anyone north of the border looking to trade leveraged crypto futures had essentially two choices: use an offshore platform with questionable regulatory standing, or don’t.

What Coinbase is actually offering

The derivatives are being offered through Coinbase Financial Markets, the company’s CFTC-registered arm. Eligible Canadian clients can now access 23 crypto futures contracts alongside commodity futures covering gold, silver, and oil.

Pricing appears designed to undercut the competition from the jump. Introductory fees start at 0.02% per trade and $0.11 per contract.

The 10x leverage cap is worth noting. It’s aggressive enough to be useful for experienced traders but conservative compared to the 100x or even 125x options that some offshore exchanges dangle in front of retail users.

All contracts comply with Canadian securities law, with Coinbase Canada Inc. operating as a CSA Restricted Dealer across all provinces and territories.

The strategy behind the timing

This launch didn’t materialize overnight. Coinbase Canada CEO Eric Richmond laid the groundwork publicly back in July 2026, outlining the company’s vision for transforming Coinbase into what he described as an “everything exchange.” Derivatives access for Canadian users was a central pillar of that strategy.

Coinbase is leveraging an international exemption to introduce CFTC-listed contracts to eligible Canadian users through its U.S.-regulated entity, CFM, responding to a gap in the market where traders had limited options for leveraged products.

What this means for the Canadian market

The immediate impact is straightforward: Canadian traders now have a domestic, regulated venue for leveraged crypto trading. Regulated platforms provide standardized contract terms, transparent pricing, and recourse mechanisms that offshore venues simply don’t.

The inclusion of commodity futures alongside crypto contracts positions Coinbase not just as a crypto exchange that happens to serve Canadians, but as a multi-asset derivatives platform competing with traditional brokerages.

The fee structure Coinbase has chosen suggests the company is willing to operate on thin margins initially to build market share. At 0.02% per trade, the economics only work at scale.

Disclosure: This article was edited by Editorial Team. For more information on how we create and review content, see our Editorial Policy.