Coinbase (COIN) is one of the best fintech ideas for 2026, according to a new outlook report from Clear Street analyst Owen Lau, who sees the crypto exchange as a key player in the shift towards blockchain-based financial infrastructure.
Lau — who already had a buy rating and a 12-month price target of $415 on COIN — ranked the crypto exchange along with Nasdaq ( NDAQ ) and S&P Global ( SPGI ) as his top three fintech picks heading into next year.
Amid a broad post-Christmas crypto sell-off on Friday, COIN shares are down 2.2% at $234.50.
Lau said Coinbase is “best positioned to benefit from blockchain adoption and regulatory clarity,” pointing to the company’s growing revenue from subscriptions, stablecoin activity and on-chain financial services. Coinbase’s diversification away from volatile spot trading and deeper involvement in areas such as tokenization, payments and derivatives could help it weather crypto cycles better than in the past, he argued.
A key driver, according to Lau, is USDC, the stablecoin jointly operated by Circle and Coinbase. Circle shares about 50% of its revenue from USDC with Coinbase, but Coinbase still trades at a discount to Circle based on expected earnings.
Lau also sees several other catalysts that could help revalue Coinbase’s valuation in 2026, including US legislation on crypto market structure and stablecoin frameworks. He also points to the company’s expansion into prediction markets, a potential “super app” and AI-based financial tools as new growth levers.
Describing 2026 as a “transitional year” for crypto stocks — where investors will shift focus from trading volumes to signs of real adoption — Lau believes Coinbase is well-positioned to take advantage of its strong balance sheet, international reach and diversified product pipeline.
