COINBASE

Coinbase Global, Inc. is an American cryptocurrency exchange and wallet provider. Founded in 2012 by Brian Armstrong and Fred Ehrsam, the company is headquartered in San Francisco, California. It operates one of the largest crypto platforms by user base and trading volume and went public in 2021 through a direct listing on the Nasdaq under the symbol COIN.

Its platform enables users to buy, sell, transfer, and store a wide range of digital assets. In addition to a consumer trading app, Coinbase offers institutional services such as Coinbase Prime and Coinbase Custody, and a non-custodial wallet called Coinbase Wallet. The company runs educational programs like Coinbase Earn and supports staking on select assets. In some regions it offers a crypto-backed debit card and other financial products.

Coinbase derives most of its revenue from transaction fees, with additional income from subscriptions, services, and interest on customer balances. The company operates under regulatory oversight in the United States and other jurisdictions and has faced increased regulatory scrutiny over crypto asset classifications and compliance requirements, resulting in ongoing inquiries and enforcement actions in various markets.

Since its founding, Coinbase has expanded internationally and broadened its product offerings. It has pursued acquisitions such as Earn.com (2018) to support education and engagement, Tagomi (acquired 2019–2020) for institutional trading, Neutrino (2020) for blockchain analytics and later divested due to privacy concerns, and Bison Trails (2021) to bolster staking infrastructure. These moves have shaped its custody, trading, and enterprise services.