Coinbase has announced a major strategic expansion into traditional stock trading and blockchain-based tokenized equities, with plans to launch a comprehensive "Everything Exchange" by 2026. The initiative, led by CEO Brian Armstrong, marks a significant shift for the crypto giant as it seeks to diversify its revenue streams and reduce dependence on volatile cryptocurrency markets.
The company has already begun rolling out stock trading to a small group of users, with plans to expand access to its wider user base in the coming weeks. Initially, stocks will be offered in a conventional format, with backend operations supported by Apex Fintech Solutions. Armstrong's long-term vision, however, centers on tokenized equities—placing stocks directly on blockchain networks to enable 24/7 trading, shorten settlement times, and reduce friction associated with traditional market systems.
"The future of finance is on Coinbase," the company stated, highlighting its ambition to become a top global financial platform. Armstrong emphasized this goal, sharing, "Goal is to make Coinbase the #1 financial app in the world," and stressed investments in product quality and automation.
The announcement had an immediate positive impact on Coinbase's market valuation. Following an upgrade to a "buy" rating from Goldman Sachs, shares of Coinbase (COIN) rose by 8%. Analysts view the venture into tokenized equities positively, seeing it as a move to mitigate risks tied solely to crypto markets.
Coinbase differentiates itself from competitors like Robinhood by leveraging in-house tokenization capabilities, rather than relying on third parties. However, the company will face direct competition from established traditional brokers like Schwab and Fidelity, as well as Robinhood, which has long blended stock and crypto trading.
The timeline for full-scale tokenized equity offerings is contingent on regulatory clarity. Armstrong expects on-chain stock issuance could begin within the next two years, but this depends on the progress of legislation like the Clarity Act in Congress. The regulatory process has faced delays due to disputes between industry groups and banks.
This expansion is part of Armstrong's broader vision for Coinbase, which has grown from its 2012 founding into a crypto powerhouse offering wallets, stablecoins, and a Bitcoin-linked credit card. The move into stocks and tokenized assets represents a pivotal step toward creating an "all-in-one" investing platform that could eventually include features like paying dividends in Bitcoin.
