Coinbase has announced its plan to expand its core trading application beyond cryptocurrency. The newly envisioned “everything exchange” will soon include a variety of new offerings, such as tokenized real-world assets, stocks, derivatives, and prediction markets. These new features are set to roll out to U.S. users in the coming months, followed by a “gradual international rollout based on jurisdictional approvals,” according to Max Branzburg, Coinbase’s vice president of product.
“We’re building an exchange for everything,” Branzburg told CNBC. “Everything you want to trade, in a one-stop shop, on-chain. … We’re bringing all assets onchain — stocks, prediction markets, and more. We’re building the foundations for a faster, more accessible, more global economy.”
Coinciding with Regulatory Shifts
This expansion places Coinbase in more direct competition with platforms like Robinhood, Gemini, and Kraken, all of which have recently introduced tokenized equity offerings to users outside the U.S. Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong has previously stated his goal for the company to become the leading financial services app within the next decade.
The announcement came just hours after the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) introduced “Project Crypto,” an initiative designed to “modernize” securities rules and regulations to better accommodate crypto-based trading activities. Tokenization of stocks and other traditional assets has grown in popularity this year, coinciding with the Trump administration’s efforts to roll back what it considers restrictive crypto policies from the previous U.S. leadership.
While trading for retail and institutional investors remains Coinbase’s core business, the company is also focused on increasing consumer engagement through new services. This push is supported by the new pro-crypto policies coming from Washington. Just two weeks prior, the company unveiled its “Base App,” which it hopes will become a WeChat-style “super app” for the Western market.
Author’s Opinion
The timing of Coinbase’s expansion, coming on the heels of new pro-crypto policies from both the Trump administration and the SEC, is not a coincidence. This demonstrates a clear synergy between a more accommodating regulatory environment and corporate innovation. For years, crypto companies were hesitant to launch new products in the U.S. due to a lack of regulatory clarity. Now, with the political winds shifting in their favor, companies like Coinbase are seizing the opportunity to expand their offerings. This suggests that the future of the crypto industry in the U.S. will be heavily influenced by Washington’s willingness to create a clear and supportive legal framework, which in turn will unlock a new wave of products and services for consumers.
Featured image credit: appshunter via Unsplash
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