US-listed cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase (COIN) is introducing stock trading and incorporating prediction markets, along with a host of other new products and assets aimed at cementing the platform’s position as the “Everything Exchange”, according to a blog post on Wednesday.
Coinbase said it is dramatically expanding the assets available for trading on its platform, including new cryptocurrencies, perpetual futures, stocks and prediction markets, starting with Kalshi with more integrations coming later.
Offering users a trading platform with a Swiss army knife has become a competitive field of late. Some of Coinbase’s main crypto trading rivals, such as Robinhood, Kraken and Gemini, have launched tokenized stock offerings for users outside the US and are also exploring prediction markets.
The main Coinbase app will provide “a simple interface for trading futures and perps, the ability to trade all Solana assets as soon as they are created, primary token sales, the global launch of the Base app,” according to the blog.
The regulatory environment in the US has evolved significantly in recent years to the point where the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has implicitly given the nod to the always-on trading of some tokenized shares on blockchains.
To take stock
There isn’t a list of stocks that will be tradable at launch, as it is still subject to change, said Coinbase’s head of consumer and business products, Max Branzburg. However, it will be hundreds of top stocks based on market capitalization, trading volume and other metrics, with plans to add thousands more stocks and ETFs over the coming months, Branzburg said via email.
It’s an integration that simplifies portfolio management, allowing Coinbase users to buy, sell and manage stocks and ETFs along with crypto portfolios — with USD or USDC — all within a Coinbase app and account, the exchange said in its blog post.
“Traders will get zero-commission trading without the constraints of traditional market hours – trade your top stocks 24 hours a day, five days a week,” the post continued. “We plan to add thousands of additional shares over the coming months.”
Early next year, the plan is to expand holding periods so non-U.S. traders can get 24/7, capital-efficient exposure to U.S. stocks through the app, Coinbase said.
The move is facilitated by Coinbase Tokenize, the firms’ new end-to-end institutional platform for tokenizing real assets, which will provide retail access to tokenized shares on the exchange.
Asked about the nuts and bolts of the tokenization process and the regulatory status of equity tokens and their custody as it relates to a central securities depository (CSD), Branzburg, for example, said via email:
“What we’re really focused on is enabling RWA and tokenized assets. The mechanics of how we do that are underway, and we’ll have more specific details to share soon. Our regulatory rigor puts us in a unique position to lead as the space matures.”
Prediction Markets, Perps, Solana DEX
Starting with the integration of the $11 billion prediction market provider Kalashi, Coinbase users will be able to trade the results of real-world events such as elections, sports, collectibles and economic indicators, with the prices of the event contracts determined by the collective trading activity of market participants.
Coinbase also said it has simplified derivatives trading, allowing users to make larger moves with less upfront capital and take advantage of more favorable tax benefits when trading across crypto markets and commodities.
“We have more than 30 futures and perps contracts in the US across asset classes from crypto to commodities to stock indices, with plans to expand to several hundred contracts over time,” Branzburg said via email. “As of this week, we now offer 15 perpetual style futures contracts for cryptocurrencies including BTC, ETH, SOL, XRP and the following listed here”.
Rolling out over the coming weeks, Coinbase said it is expanding its decentralized exchange (DEX) trading integration to include access to Solana tokens. The main exchange app integrates the popular Solana DEX aggregator Jupiter, allowing users to exchange tokens securely without ever leaving the app.
Coinbase Business and Wealth Management
In addition, Coinbase Business, a financial platform designed for startups and small businesses working with crypto, will be available to all eligible businesses in the US and Singapore, the exchange said.
“We enable users to send and receive payments globally with payment links and invoices, manage crypto assets through Coinbase Advanced, and automate financial workflows with access to Coinbase’s regulated infrastructure,” a blog post said.
The exchange is also pushing a new AI-based wealth management tool called Coinbase Advisor, which the exchange said bridges the gap between idea and execution. High-quality financial guidance is not a luxury product, but a standard for everyone, Coinbase said.
“Instead of manually putting together trades, users can simply tell the AI their goals and questions – ‘Build me a portfolio,’ ‘What’s the latest market news and how does it affect me?’ – and get a personalized response with recommendations powered by the products, data and tools available on Coinbase,” the post added.
Coinbase’s popular Ethereum overlay blockchain, Base, is now global, having been made officially available in more than 140 countries. There had been some speculation among analysts who had caught wind of the upcoming product announcement that upgrades to the Base network could hint at the release of a native blockchain token.
“We continue to explore the potential for a Base token, but have no updates to share at this time,” Branzburg said.
