Catenaa, Tuesday, January 06, 2026- Coinbase will pause peso-based services in Argentina at the end of January 2026, roughly one year after launching operations in one of Latin America’s most active cryptocurrency markets.
The US-based exchange has informed Argentine users that trading between the peso and the USDC stablecoin would stop on January 31, 2026.
After that date, customers will no longer be able to buy or sell USDC using pesos or withdraw funds to local bank accounts.
Crypto-to-crypto trading will continue, and customer balances will remain accessible.
Users have about 30 days to complete peso-based transactions before the cutoff.
Coinbase described the move as a temporary pause intended to reassess its local product and return with a more sustainable offering.
The company said Argentina and the broader Latin American region remain central to its long-term plans.
Coinbase entered Argentina formally in January 2025 after securing Virtual Asset Service Provider registration from the country’s National Securities Commission.
At the time, the company cited strong local adoption, estimating that about 5 million people in Argentina use crypto daily.
The decision comes after a turbulent year for the country’s digital asset sector. In early 2025, President Javier Milei publicly backed the Solana-based LIBRA memecoin, which surged to a multibillion-dollar valuation before collapsing sharply.
The episode led to congressional investigations, though Milei has denied wrongdoing.
Coinbase did not link its decision to the political environment. Separately, Argentina’s central bank is reviewing rules that bar banks from digital asset activities, with possible changes expected later this year.
