Coinbase International Exchange has announced a significant expansion of its derivatives offerings, revealing plans to list perpetual futures contracts for the BRC-20 token ORDI and the AI-focused Worldcoin (WLD) token starting April 11, 2024. The move marks another step in the platform’s aggressive push into crypto derivatives for institutional investors.
TL;DR
- Coinbase International Exchange announces ORDI-PERP and WLD-PERP futures contracts
- Listings go live April 11 for institutional and Coinbase Advanced users
- ORDI has surged 1,640% since November 2023, driven by Ordinals protocol momentum
- Worldcoin’s WLD token gained traction as a leading AI narrative play, rising from $2.20 to $11.70 in early 2024
- The listings follow recent additions of Wormhole (W), Dogecoin, and Litecoin futures on the platform
The April 5 announcement, shared via Coinbase International Exchange’s official X account, signals the exchange’s continued strategy of broadening its perpetual futures catalog. Both ORDI-PERP and WLD-PERP contracts will be available to institutional investors on Coinbase International and to users of Coinbase Advanced, the company’s sophisticated trading interface.
ORDI Brings BRC-20 to Institutional Derivatives
ORDI, the first BRC-20 token built on the Bitcoin Ordinals protocol, has been one of the standout performers in the 2024 crypto market. The token skyrocketed approximately 1,640% from $5 in early November 2023 to a high of $87 on March 5, 2024, as interest in Bitcoin-based tokens and the broader Ordinals ecosystem intensified.
The Ordinals protocol enables users to inscribe data — including text, images, audio, and video — directly onto individual Satoshis on the Bitcoin blockchain. ORDI leverages this technology to offer tokenized assets on the Bitcoin network, with the majority of tokens distributed through airdrops to early adopters. The listing on Coinbase International represents one of the highest-profile institutional onramps for a BRC-20 token to date, lending additional credibility to the emerging Bitcoin tokenization standard.
Worldcoin’s AI Narrative Gains Institutional Traction
Worldcoin, co-founded by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman alongside Max Novendstern and Alex Blania in 2019, has quickly become a primary vehicle for crypto investors seeking exposure to the artificial intelligence theme. The project aims to create the world’s largest privacy-preserving human identification and financial network. Its native WLD token serves as a utility token with governance features, allowing holders to participate in the protocol’s decision-making processes.
WLD experienced a dramatic price surge in early 2024, climbing from approximately $2.20 on February 7 to an all-time high of $11.70 on March 10, driven largely by the intersection of crypto and AI enthusiasm. The Coinbase futures listing further validates the token’s growing institutional appeal.
A Broader Derivatives Expansion Strategy
The ORDI and WLD listings are part of a broader derivatives expansion at Coinbase International. Just one day earlier, on April 4, the exchange implemented futures contracts for Wormhole’s native W token, which launched alongside an $850 million airdrop to early cross-chain bridge users. On March 21, Coinbase had also quietly announced plans for Dogecoin and Litecoin futures, utilizing a “self-certification” method to launch the contracts under Commodity Futures Trading Commission guidelines without requiring prior official clearance.
This strategy reflects Coinbase’s broader ambition to compete with offshore derivatives exchanges that have long dominated crypto perpetual futures trading. By offering a regulated, institution-friendly venue for a growing range of crypto derivatives, Coinbase International is positioning itself at the intersection of traditional finance and the expanding digital asset derivatives market.
Why This Matters
The addition of ORDI and WLD perpetual futures to Coinbase International carries significance beyond simple product expansion. For the BRC-20 ecosystem, it represents institutional acknowledgment that Bitcoin-based tokenization protocols have matured beyond experimental stages. For the AI-crypto intersection, Worldcoin’s listing signals that exchanges view AI-themed tokens as a sustainable market segment rather than a passing trend. As the crypto derivatives market continues to grow — with Bitcoin’s market cap standing at approximately $1.32 trillion and total crypto market cap near $2.52 trillion on April 5 — the infrastructure supporting institutional access to these assets becomes increasingly critical. Coinbase’s aggressive derivatives rollout suggests the exchange anticipates sustained demand from professional traders for exposure to emerging crypto narratives.
Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial advice. Cryptocurrency investments carry significant risk. Always conduct your own research before making investment decisions.
ORDI up 1640% since November 2023. BRC-20 went from a niche experiment to getting listed on Coinbase derivatives in under 6 months
Worldcoin going from 2.20 to 11.70 purely on AI narrative. the tokenomics on WLD are brutal though, massive unlocks incoming
Coinbase adding these right after Wormhole and Doge futures. they are clearly racing to match Binance perpetual offerings before the US elections shift regulatory attention