I just want to add to the answer that we like other services and use more than one in the list. We just don't see any of them meeting our needs to quickly trade and provide mechanism for large order sizes. Plus, wiring money becomes expensive very fast.
We considered adding arb option but after running simulations and accounting for fees and slippage, the opportunity was very small. We also didn't find a suitable hedge to minimize our risk.
We have considered adding option trading; however, given the drop in volume in btc trading, we wonder if there is enough demand for option trading. If others request it, we are happy to build it.
Happy to brainstorm with you if you are up for it. Email added to my profile.
I don't think Coinbase considers themselves a broker.
This is directly from coinbase's terms of service :
"3.1. Transactions with Coinbase. When buying or selling bitcoin through the Exchange Service, you are buying from, or selling to, Coinbase directly. Coinbase does not act as an intermediary or marketplace between other buyers and sellers of bitcoin. The Exchange Service is subject to the Coinbase "Conversion Rate." "Conversion Rate" means the liquidity adjusted price of a given bitcoin amount in terms of local currency as quoted on the Coinbase Site."
Our main feature is our execution; we are good at optimizing trade execution so you get the best price possible.
There are many banks in the US with very different rules so it is difficult to give a general answer. Have you heard of these stories from customers when buying and selling from coinbase?
The price on other exchange is based on Google's price of BTC.
We do not market make ourselves. We make it easy for market makers to market make.
Our price advantage you see on the site is based on routing. Different exchanges have price advantage at different times and so we route to the exchange that has the best rate; including splitting your order if needed.
We currently don't show the price advantage of algorithms (very difficult to show without knowing trade parameters).
We do not take any inventory risk.
noname123, is there a way for us to connect. You clearly have experience in the space. We would like to speak with you in more details.
We are working on adding many more features, and wanted to see features you would like to see built out. We can add more exchanges, offer additional algorithms and offer additional coins and currencies.
Trading is by invitation only. If you want trading access, just pm me or comment below (or send us a tweet).