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

Coinbase intends to prioritize stablecoins, its Ethereum layer-2 Base and building out its exchange products past cryptocurrencies throughout 2026, according to CEO Brian Armstrong.

In a New Year’s social media post Armstrong reaffirmed Coinbase’s “everything exchange” strategy, which includes products like prediction markets, equities and commodities.

At its year-end conference in December, Coinbase launched stock trading and prediction markets as part of its push. The company has also rebranded its wallet app as an “everything app,” adding social networking and onchain features.

Coinbase isn’t alone in broadening its product suite. Rival crypto exchanges are increasingly bundling services in a bid to become “super apps.”

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

Moving toward the everything-exchange vision

Coinbase rolling out stock trading on its main app has been described by its executives as a “milestone” to enable 24/7 trading of stocks and ETFs alongside crypto from a single interface.

Coinbase also announced onchain prediction markets in partnership with Kalshi, allowing users to bet on real-world events, and has flagged plans for 24/7 perpetual futures on both crypto and stocks. 

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

Such moves are pushing crypto exchanges further into territory occupied by retail brokerages and derivatives venues rather than pure crypto on‑ramps.

​Stablecoins and payments form the second leg of Coinbase’s 2026 plan. It has framed stablecoins as core financial infrastructure for remittances, payroll and settlements. Armstrong predicted that banks will eventually demand interest‑bearing stablecoin products. 

Related: Stripe’s stablecoin blockchain Tempo launches public testnet

Security and support issues cloud the super app push

Armstrong’s vision hasn’t gone unchallenged. Base’s approach to creator coins has drawn backlash from builders who questioned whether the network was capitalizing on viral growth opportunities, even as the team talks up creators as a major onboarding channel.

Community responses have also flagged longstanding concerns about Coinbase’s security and customer support.

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