U.S.-listed cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase (COIN) is introducing stock trading and integrating prediction markets, along with a host of other new products and assets that aim to solidify the platform’s position as the “Everything Exchange,” according to a blog post published Wednesday.
Coinbase said it is significantly 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.
Providing users with a Swiss army knife trading platform has become a competitive field in recent times. Some of Coinbase’s main cryptocurrency trading competitors, such as Robinhood, Kraken and Gemini, have launched tokenized stock offerings to users outside the United States 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 upon inception, primary token sales, the global launch of the Base app,” according to the blog.
The regulatory environment in the United States has evolved significantly in recent years, to the point where the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has implicitly given the green light to the permanent trading of certain stocks tokenized on blockchains.
Take stock
There is no list of stocks that will be tradable at launch because it is still subject to change, said Max Branzburg, Coinbase’s head of consumer and professional products. It will, however, include 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 by email.
It’s an integration that simplifies portfolio management, allowing Coinbase users to buy, sell and manage stocks and ETFs as well as crypto wallets – with USD or USDC – all within a single app and Coinbase account, the exchange said in its blog post.
“Traders will benefit from commission-free trading, without the constraints of traditional market hours: trade your top stocks 24 hours a day, five days a week,” the post continues. “We plan to add thousands more titles over the coming months.”
Early next year, the plan is to expand perpetual stocks so that traders outside the U.S. can get 24/7 capital-efficient exposure to U.S. stocks through the app, Coinbase said.
The move is facilitated by Coinbase Tokenize, the company’s new end-to-end institutional platform for tokenizing real-world assets, which will enable retail access to tokenized stocks on exchanges.
Asked about the details of the tokenization process and the regulatory status of stock tokens and their custody with respect to a central securities depository (CSD), for example, Branzburg said via email:
“What we’re really focused on is enabling RWA and tokenized assets. The mechanism to do this is underway, and we’ll have more specific details to share soon. Our regulatory rigor also puts us in a unique position to lead as the space matures.”
Prediction Markets, Perps, Solana DEX
Starting with the integration of $11 billion prediction market provider Kalashi, Coinbase users will be able to trade on the outcomes of real-world events such as elections, sports, collectibles and economic indicators, with event contract prices 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 initial capital and enjoy more favorable tax benefits when trading in crypto and commodities markets.
“We have over 30 active futures and pers contracts in the United States in asset classes ranging from crypto to commodities to stock indices, with plans to expand to hundreds more 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.”
In the coming weeks, Coinbase said it is expanding its decentralized exchange (DEX) trading integration to include access to Solana tokens. The leading exchange app integrates the popular aggregator Solana DEX Jupiter, so users can securely trade tokens without ever leaving the app.
Coinbase Business and Wealth Management
Additionally, Coinbase Business, a financial platform designed for startups and small businesses working with crypto, is becoming available to all eligible businesses in the United States and Singapore, the exchange announced.
“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 states.
The exchange also offers a new AI-powered wealth management tool called Coinbase Advisor, which the exchange says bridges the gap between idea and execution. High-quality financial advice is not a luxury product, but a standard for everyone, Coinbase said.
“Instead of manually grouping 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 impact me?” » – and get a personalized response with recommendations based on the products, data and tools available on Coinbase,” the message adds.
Coinbase’s popular Ethereum overlay blockchain, Base, is now global, having been officially available in over 140 countries. There has been speculation among analysts who have caught wind of the upcoming product announcement that the core network upgrades could say something about the release of a native blockchain token.
“We continue to explore the potential for a base token, but we have no updates to share at this time,” Branzburg said.
