Cosmos (ATOM) FAQ

Announcement: As of January 13, 2019, Coinbase has added Cosmos (ATOM) to our supported assets for Coinbase Pro. On January 16, 2019, Coinbase also added Cosmos (ATOM) to our supported assets for Coinbase.com. Coinbase customers, in qualifying countries, will now be able to buy, sell, send, and receive Cosmos (ATOM). For info about which products and regions will support the new asset, please see our Supported Cryptocurrencies page.

What is Cosmos (ATOM)?

Cosmos is a network of proof-of-stake blockchains that allows communication between the different blockchains built into the Cosmos ecosystem. It operates via a hub-and-spoke model that leverages the design elements of other chains to enable cross-chain interaction. The Cosmos framework features a Byzantine Fault-Tolerant (BFT) consensus algorithm developed by Tendermint to secure the protocol. Note that communication between different blockchains is not currently supported. 

The primary token of the Cosmos Hub is the ATOM. The ATOM token is used to contribute to the security and governance of the Cosmos Hub. At this time, ATOM staking and voting is not supported on Coinbase.

What is Proof-of-Stake?

Proof-of-stake is a type of consensus algorithm where a cryptocurrency blockchain network aims to achieve distributed consensus. For more information on how staking works with Coinbase, please visit our help page.

Staking Cosmos (ATOM)

Cosmos is not currently eligible for staking or voting on Coinbase. 

Can I send ATOM to Coinbase? 

Yes, but you must send ATOM to and from Coinbase within their own separate wallet, just like all assets on Coinbase. For Coinbase Pro, select the Deposit button to view your ATOM deposit address. 1 confirmation is required, and each confirmation can take as little as 5 seconds to complete. 

If you send to an external (non-Coinbase) address or wallet that does not support ATOM, Coinbase is not responsible for that transaction. Additionally, do not send non-ATOM tokens/assets to your ATOM address.

ATOM sends and receives using Coinbase may utilize something called a destination tag (often referred to as a “memo”). If required, you must always include the correct destination tag before initiating a deposit or withdrawal to and from Coinbase. Omitting or using an incorrect destination tag may cause funds to be lost. For more information on destination tags, visit our help page.

Are there deposit or withdrawal minimums?

There is no deposit minimum, but there is a withdrawal minimum of 0.1 ATOM.
Is Cosmos (ATOM) supported in my country?

Please visit the Supported Digital Currencies page in our help center.