Coinbase is facilitating direct deposits and withdrawals in rupees on its platform in India, becoming the only international crypto exchange offering this facility and giving it a major competitive edge over its biggest rival, Binance.

The Nasdaq-listed S&P 500 crypto exchange, which re-entered India after securing registration with the Financial Intelligence Unit in December 2025, is targeting a major share of retail and institutional customers, enabling trade in more than 500 crypto assets.

India ranked number one in Chainalysis global crypto adoption index, John O’Loghlen, head of Asia Pacific at Coinbase, told ET. Therefore, Coinbase wants to play an early role in shaping the growth of the digital assets ecosystem here, he…