Coinbase Bets on Stablecoins, Base and ‘Everything Exchange’ for 2026

Coinbase intends to prioritize stablecoins, its Ethereum layer-2 Base and constructing out its change merchandise previous cryptocurrencies all through 2026, in response to CEO Brian Armstrong.

In a New Yr’s social media post Armstrong reaffirmed Coinbase’s “every part change” technique, which incorporates merchandise like prediction markets, equities and commodities.

At its year-end convention in December, Coinbase launched inventory buying and selling and prediction markets as a part of its push. The corporate has additionally rebranded its wallet app as an “every part app,” including social networking and onchain options.

Coinbase isn’t alone in broadening its product suite. Rival crypto exchanges are more and more bundling providers in a bid to develop into “tremendous apps.”

A recent report from Delphi Digital discovered that exchanges like Coinbase, OKX and Binance are quietly evolving into distribution layers for a rising vary of digital utilities.

Shifting towards the everything-exchange imaginative and prescient

Coinbase rolling out stock trading on its principal app has been described by its executives as a “milestone” to allow 24/7 buying and selling of shares and ETFs alongside crypto from a single interface.

Coinbase additionally introduced onchain prediction markets in partnership with Kalshi, permitting customers to guess on real-world occasions, and has flagged plans for 24/7 perpetual futures on each crypto and shares. 

Associated: Crypto Biz: Exchanges place their bets on prediction markets

Such strikes are pushing crypto exchanges additional into territory occupied by retail brokerages and derivatives venues somewhat than pure crypto on‑ramps.

​Stablecoins and funds kind the second leg of Coinbase’s 2026 plan. It has framed stablecoins as core monetary infrastructure for remittances, payroll and settlements. Armstrong predicted that banks will finally demand curiosity‑bearing stablecoin merchandise. 

Associated: Stripe’s stablecoin blockchain Tempo launches public testnet

Safety and assist points cloud the tremendous app push

Armstrong’s imaginative and prescient hasn’t gone unchallenged. Base’s approach to creator coins has drawn backlash from builders who questioned whether or not the community was capitalizing on viral progress alternatives, even because the group talks up creators as a significant onboarding channel.

Group responses have additionally flagged longstanding considerations about Coinbase’s safety and buyer assist.

The corporate disclosed in 2025 that cybercriminals had bribed overseas customer service agents to steal buyer information, triggering media scrutiny and renewed debate over outsourced assist and information‑hungry KYC practices.