Coinbase · Coinbase User Agreement · View original document ↗

Fee Disclosure and Spread

Medium severity Unique · 0 of 325 platforms
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Recent governance activity Coinbase recorded 6 documented changes in the last 30 days.
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This analysis describes what Coinbase's agreement states, permits, or reserves. It does not constitute a legal determination about enforceability. Regulatory applicability and practical outcomes may vary by jurisdiction, enforcement context, and individual circumstances. Read our methodology

ConductAtlas Analysis

Why it matters (compliance & governance perspective)

This provision operationally defines the fee structure and revenue mechanisms for Coinbase's trading services, requiring pre-transaction disclosure and establishing authorization for spread-based revenue generation alongside stated transaction fees.

Recent Activity

This document changed recently

High May 15, 2026

The updated terms establish a new arrangement for USDC designated as 'Secured USDC' in connection with the Coinbase One Card. Under the revised language, if you designate USDC in your wallet as Secured USDC, you agree that Coinbase may transfer that amount to a third party designated as the secured party, and you will be restricted from withdrawing or transferring those funds. Additionally, the secured party's instructions to Coinbase regarding those assets take priority over any conflicting instructions you provide. The agreement states that you consent to all such permitted transfers. This arrangement operates independently of amounts owed to Coinbase, meaning Secured USDC will not be debited to satisfy debts you owe to Coinbase.

View change record →
Medium May 2, 2026

The updated terms eliminate language that previously allowed Coinbase to restrict your withdrawals if you designated USDC as Secured USDC and to comply with third-party secured party instructions without your consent. Under the revised agreement, Coinbase will not transfer, loan, or otherwise handle your Supported Digital Assets except as required by law or as you instruct. This means the One Card Secured USDC mechanism is no longer integrated into the core asset protection clause, and users no longer face withdrawal restrictions or loss of instruction authority tied to that designation. If you currently hold Secured USDC under a separate One Card cardholder agreement, that agreement remains in effect but is no longer cross-referenced in the main User Agreement's asset protection section.

View change record →
Medium May 1, 2026

The updated terms establish a new exception to the prior prohibition on transferring user digital assets. Previously, Coinbase stated it would not transfer assets except as required by law or per user instruction. The revised language now permits Coinbase to transfer USDC designated as 'Secured USDC' to third parties pursuant to a Coinbase One Card cardholder agreement. Users who elect to use this feature agree they will be restricted from withdrawing or transferring the secured portion, and they consent to Coinbase following instructions from a designated secured party without further user approval, even if those instructions conflict with the user's own orders to Coinbase. The full terms of this arrangement are stated to be in Appendix 4, which is not included in this summary.

View change record →

Consumer impact (what this means for users)

Users are charged transaction fees at rates disclosed by Coinbase prior to confirming trades, and Coinbase retains authorization to profit from the difference between its buy and sell prices for Digital Currency. The fee amount and spread mechanism are both displayed on the trading interface before transaction confirmation.

How other platforms handle this

Revolut Medium

You can close your account at any time through the Revolut app, or by emailing us at support@revolut.com. You will still have to pay any charges you've incurred. We may also charge you any cancellation fees that apply to other agreements you've entered into with us (for example, if you cancel your M...

Wise Medium

We may change our fees at any time. We will give you advance notice of any changes to fees where required by applicable law. The exchange rate used for currency conversion is set by Wise and may include a markup over the mid-market rate.

Google Pay Medium

When you initiate a payment transaction using Google Pay with any party other than a Seller (such party is a 'Third Party' and such transaction is a 'Third-Party Transaction'), Google may pass details of your Payment Method and related information to the Third Party so that it can charge your Paymen...

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▸ View Original Clause Language DOCUMENT RECORD
"
When you buy or sell Digital Currency using our Trading Service, Coinbase will charge you a fee as disclosed to you at the time of transaction. Coinbase may also make money from the spread, which is the difference between the price at which we buy and sell Digital Currency. The applicable fee will be displayed on the trading interface prior to you confirming your transaction.

— Excerpt from Coinbase's Coinbase User Agreement

Provision details

Document information
Document
Coinbase User Agreement
Entity
Coinbase
Document last updated
May 5, 2026
Tracking information
First tracked
May 9, 2026
Last verified
May 12, 2026
Record ID
CA-P-004750
Document ID
CA-D-00047
Evidence Provenance
Source URL
Wayback Machine
Content hash (SHA-256)
3dc307b902ef1098b4f25d2d193ebebf46ef33ac6e1077fba19c28563a37eb5d
Analysis generated
May 9, 2026 19:59 UTC
Methodology
Evidence
✓ Snapshot stored   ✓ Hash verified
Citation Record
Entity: Coinbase
Document: Coinbase User Agreement
Record ID: CA-P-004750
Captured: 2026-05-09 19:59:08 UTC
SHA-256: 3dc307b902ef1098…
URL: https://conductatlas.com/platform/coinbase/coinbase-user-agreement/fee-disclosure-and-spread/
Accessed: May 20, 2026
Permanent archival reference. Stable identifier suitable for legal filings, compliance documentation, and research citation.
Classification
Severity
Medium
Categories

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Frequently Asked Questions

What does Coinbase's Fee Disclosure and Spread clause do?

This provision operationally defines the fee structure and revenue mechanisms for Coinbase's trading services, requiring pre-transaction disclosure and establishing authorization for spread-based revenue generation alongside stated transaction fees.

How does this clause affect you?

Users are charged transaction fees at rates disclosed by Coinbase prior to confirming trades, and Coinbase retains authorization to profit from the difference between its buy and sell prices for Digital Currency. The fee amount and spread mechanism are both displayed on the trading interface before transaction confirmation.

Is ConductAtlas affiliated with Coinbase?

No. ConductAtlas is an independent monitoring service. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Coinbase.