As of February 26, 2026, Coinbase Global stands at a crossroads in its journey to become the “Google of Finance.” After years of aggressively diversifying its revenue streams and institutionalizing its infrastructure, the company is moving beyond its retail crypto gateway. The Base Layer 2 network has gained massive traction and the firm serves as the primary custodian for nearly every major Bitcoin and Ethereum ETF, embedding Coinbase into the core of the global financial system. This shift marks Coinbase’s evolution from a crypto exchange into a broader financial infrastructure provider.
Coinbase’s 2026 focus centers on Base as the crown jewel of its innovation pipeline, including moving Base to a proprietary codebase to unlock greater customization and revenue. The company also expands its ecosystem with products like the Coinbase Smart Wallet, and strategic moves such as the Deribit acquisition to capture a larger share of the perpetual futures market. This trajectory signals a broader shift toward asset custody, tokenization, and cross-border payments, potentially reshaping the architecture of digital asset markets and institutional finance.
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