Coinbase has appointed former UK finance minister George Osborne as chair of its Global Advisory Council, marking a significant move by the American crypto exchange to strengthen political
and regulatory ties outside the United States.
The announcement comes just days after India’s Competition Commission approved Coinbase’s bid to acquire a minority stake in domestic crypto platform CoinDCX—an early signal of the company’s growing international ambitions.
Expanding global policy influence
Coinbase confirmed that Osborne will play a leading role in shaping the company’s engagement strategy with governments worldwide, with particular attention on the UK and European Union.
Osborne first joined Coinbase as an adviser in January 2024 and will continue to be based in London. His work will involve direct dialogue with policymakers on crypto regulation, stablecoins, and the development of tokenized financial assets.
Coinbase chief policy officer Faryar Shirzad stressed that the exchange has become an increasingly influential lobbying presence abroad. In the UK, Coinbase is pushing for clearer guidance on taxation, stablecoin usage, and tokenized markets, aiming to accelerate regulatory certainty and institutional adoption.
Osborne’s profile and growing tech portfolio
Osborne served as UK finance minister between 2010 and 2016, resigning after the Brexit referendum. Since leaving frontline politics, he has developed a wide portfolio of business roles.
He currently serves as chair of the British Museum, works as a partner at investment bank Robey Warshaw, and leads Lingotto Investment Management.
Osborne’s appointment to Coinbase follows another high-profile announcement earlier this month—his involvement in supporting OpenAI’s global infrastructure expansion, including new international data centre development.
Coinbase eyes multi-sector expansion
The company’s broader strategy extends well beyond cryptocurrency trading. During its recent System Update presentation, Coinbase outlined plans to roll out stock trading, prediction markets, tokenization platforms, tailored stablecoins, and AI-driven advisory tools.
Stock trading and prediction markets are already live on the platform, putting Coinbase in direct competition with firms like Robinhood and eToro. Meanwhile, its partnership with Kalshi enables markets tied to real-world outcomes in areas such as sports, elections, and economic indicators.
Ultimately, Coinbase aims to establish an always-open, all-in-one financial ecosystem spanning both digital and traditional markets.
Analysts are increasingly taking notice. Deutsche Bank recently initiated coverage on Coinbase with a buy rating, according to CNBC, pointing to the company’s diversified product strategy as a pathway to reducing reliance on crypto trading revenues as it heads into 2026. Photo by Financial Times, Wikimedia commons.