Coinbase has partnered with Kemet, a crypto infrastructure startup founded by an Egyptian entrepreneur, to expand institutional access to crypto derivatives trading as global demand for digital asset products continues to grow rapidly.
The agreement allows institutional investors to trade across four Coinbase platforms through Kemet’s single trading interface. These include Coinbase Exchange, Coinbase Derivatives Exchange, Coinbase International Exchange and Deribit. Coinbase Ventures has also made an undisclosed investment in Kemet, showing deeper strategic ties between the two companies.
The partnership comes as crypto derivatives become one of the fastest-growing areas of the digital asset market. According to CoinGlass, the sector processed around $85.7 trillion in trading volume in 2025, far surpassing spot trading activity and highlighting rising institutional interest in crypto markets.
Founded in 2022, Kemet develops infrastructure that combines order execution, portfolio management and risk monitoring into one platform. Large trading firms often rely on several separate systems for these functions, which can make operations more complex. Kemet aims to simplify the process by bringing these tools together in a single interface.
The deal also builds on Coinbase’s $2.9 billion acquisition of Deribit in 2025, a move that strengthened its position in crypto options and derivatives trading. At the time of the acquisition, Deribit was handling more than $185 billion in monthly trading volume, showing the scale of institutional demand for derivatives products.
Rather than building all trading systems internally, Coinbase has increasingly chosen to work with specialised infrastructure firms as it expands its institutional business. This approach mirrors trends in traditional financial markets, where banks and exchanges often rely on third-party technology providers.
Although Africa has seen strong growth in cryptocurrency adoption, institutional trading activity across the continent remains limited. Countries including Nigeria, South Africa, Kenya, Ghana and Ethiopia recorded $182.1 billion in crypto value between July 2024 and June 2025, according to Chainalysis. That represented a 72 per cent rise compared to the previous year.
However, most of this activity remains concentrated in peer-to-peer and spot trading markets. Institutional derivatives trading across Africa is still held back by unclear regulations and limited financial market infrastructure.
Kemet does not yet serve African institutional clients, reflecting those challenges. In many African economies, financial markets remain heavily focused on spot trading, while regulatory frameworks for crypto derivatives are still developing.
Even so, the partnership points to future opportunities. Coinbase has continued expanding its African presence through stablecoin payments and its Base blockchain network, which is gaining attention for lower-cost transactions. As regulations improve and infrastructure develops, Africa could become a larger participant in the global crypto derivatives market.
