Coinbase is accelerating its push to become an “everything app,” expanding beyond cryptocurrencies by rolling out new features such as stock trading and prediction markets.
The crypto exchange confirmed that it has launched stock trading on its platform as part of a broader strategy to offer a wide range of financial products in one place. The announcement was made by Max Branzburg, Coinbase’s head of consumer and business products, during the company’s year-end conference.
Branzburg described the move as a major step toward enabling round-the-clock trading of stocks and exchange-traded funds on a global scale, powered by crypto infrastructure.
Prediction markets and leveraged trading added
Coinbase is also introducing prediction markets through a partnership with Kalshi. The feature is beginning its rollout immediately and is expected to become available to users in the United States at a later stage.
The development follows earlier reports that Coinbase was working on a prediction markets platform, which researchers had linked to Kalshi last month.
In addition, Coinbase plans to launch 24/7 perpetual contracts early next year. These products will allow users to speculate on the price movements of both crypto assets and stocks, with leverage of up to 50 times.
Building an “everything exchange”
Branzburg said the expanded product lineup is part of Coinbase’s vision to create an “everything exchange.” The company began laying the foundation for this strategy in July, when it rebranded its wallet app as an “everything app” and added features such as apps, social tools and messaging.
The announcements followed a Bloomberg report that previewed Coinbase’s plans to add stock trading and prediction markets. Brian Huang, CEO of Coinbase-backed portfolio manager Glider, described the launches as expected but significant.
Huang noted that Coinbase’s evolving platform is beginning to resemble Robinhood’s offering, while questioning why the company has not moved more aggressively toward fully onchain financial products. He suggested that tokenized stocks could ultimately become a key differentiator for Coinbase.
Market reaction and valuation debate
Coinbase shares closed down more than 3.3% on Wednesday but recovered slightly in after-hours trading, rising about 1.5% to $247.85.
Huang also raised questions about Coinbase’s valuation, noting that the company’s market capitalization remains below $66 billion, compared with more than $104 billion for Robinhood. He argued that Coinbase is well positioned to benefit from asset tokenization and could eventually narrow that gap.
