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Wallets/coinbase

Coinbase

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Overview

Coinbase is the largest US-based cryptocurrency exchange + first publicly listed major crypto exchange [1, 2, [crypto-cro]]. 2025 baseline: 108M+ customers (some sources cite 120M+ total monthly users) + 60-65% US crypto exchange trading volume + 6.9% global cryptocurrency exchange market share + 6th largest exchange worldwide.

Distinctive Coinbase positioning [1, 3]:

  • Largest US-based cryptocurrency exchange
  • 108M+ customers as of 2025
  • 60-65% US crypto exchange trading volume — distinctive US market dominance
  • First publicly listed major crypto exchange — NASDAQ direct listing April 14, 2021
  • 6.9% global market share — 6th largest exchange worldwide (behind Binance 38%)
  • Strong regulatory positioning — extensive US regulatory engagement (SEC + CFTC + FinCEN + NYDFS BitLicense)

History

June 2012 — Coinbase founded by Brian Armstrong + Fred Ehrsam in San Francisco.

2012-2020 — Mass US + global retail crypto adoption [2]: Coinbase becomes US's largest crypto exchange.

April 14, 2021 — Coinbase NASDAQ direct listing (NASDAQ: COIN) — distinctive first publicly listed major crypto exchange.

2023 — Coinbase wins partial SEC lawsuit dismissal — distinctive US crypto regulation milestone.

2024 — Coinbase + SEC settlement movement under new Trump administration.

2025 — 108M+ customers (some sources 120M+ monthly users) + 60-65% US crypto exchange trading volume + 6.9% global market share [1].

Ownership & operator

Operating entity: Coinbase Global Inc. (NASDAQ: COIN).

Major shareholders: Brian Armstrong (founder; majority class B shares + voting control) + Andreessen Horowitz + Union Square Ventures + various institutional + NASDAQ public float.

Regulators: SEC (Securities and Exchange Commission) + CFTC (Commodity Futures Trading Commission) + FinCEN (Financial Crimes Enforcement Network) + NYDFS (New York Department of Financial Services; BitLicense) + per-jurisdiction.

Technical integration

Layer Description
Channels Coinbase app (iOS + Android; primary mobile channel) + Coinbase.com web exchange + Coinbase Wallet (separate Web3 self-custody wallet) + Coinbase Card (Visa debit)
Identifiers Email + phone + KYC documents (per AML requirements)
License Crypto exchange (US's largest; NASDAQ-listed since Apr 14 2021; SEC + CFTC + FinCEN + NYDFS BitLicense + per-jurisdiction)
Products Coinbase Spot Trading + Coinbase Advanced Trade (formerly Coinbase Pro) + Coinbase Derivatives (Coinbase Derivatives Exchange; CFTC-regulated) + Coinbase Custody + Coinbase Prime (institutional) + Coinbase Earn (staking + learn-to-earn) + Coinbase Wallet (Web3 self-custody) + Coinbase Card (Visa debit) + Base (Coinbase's own L2 blockchain on Ethereum) + Coinbase Commerce (merchant crypto payments) + Coinbase Custody International
Distinctive Base L2 blockchain: Coinbase's own L2 blockchain on Ethereum (major DeFi ecosystem)

Users & growth

2025 baseline [1]:

  • 108M+ customers (some sources cite 120M+ total monthly users)
  • 60-65% US crypto exchange trading volume
  • 6.9% global cryptocurrency exchange market share — 6th largest worldwide
  • NASDAQ-listed since April 14, 2021

Use cases

US + global crypto spot + advanced + derivatives trading + Coinbase Custody (institutional + retail) + Coinbase Prime (institutional) + Coinbase Earn (staking + learn-to-earn) + Coinbase Wallet (Web3 self-custody) + Coinbase Card (Visa debit) + Base (Coinbase's own L2 blockchain on Ethereum) + Coinbase Commerce (merchant crypto payments).

Implementations & partners

Operator: Coinbase Global Inc. (NASDAQ: COIN).

Major shareholders: Brian Armstrong (founder; majority class B shares + voting control) + Andreessen Horowitz + Union Square Ventures + institutional + NASDAQ public float.

Major crypto exchange competitors:

  • [[binance]] (Binance; world's largest crypto exchange by trading volume; 300M+ users; 41.1% global spot in Jun 2025; CZ-founded; restricted in US)
  • [[kraken]] (Kraken Financial; US-registered; 13M+ registered users + 5.2M funded accounts Q3 2025; Federal Reserve master account approved Mar 2026)
  • Gemini (US crypto exchange; Winklevoss twins)
  • OKX + Bybit + Bitget + MEXC + HTX (formerly Huobi) + KuCoin + Gate.io + Crypto.com (other major centralized crypto exchanges)
  • Uniswap + PancakeSwap + dYdX + GMX (decentralized exchanges)
  • [[okx-wallet]] (Batch 27 covered; OKX major Web3 wallet)
  • [[exodus]] (Batch 27 covered; non-custodial multi-chain wallet)

Base L2 blockchain: Coinbase's own L2 blockchain on Ethereum (major DeFi ecosystem).

Regulators: SEC + CFTC + FinCEN + NYDFS BitLicense + per-jurisdiction.

Fun facts

  • Largest US-based cryptocurrency exchange — 108M+ customers + 60-65% US crypto exchange trading volume.
  • First publicly listed major crypto exchange — NASDAQ direct listing April 14, 2021 (NASDAQ: COIN).
  • June 2012 founding by Brian Armstrong + Fred Ehrsam in San Francisco.
  • 6.9% global cryptocurrency exchange market share — 6th largest worldwide (behind Binance 38%).
  • Base L2 blockchain — Coinbase's own L2 blockchain on Ethereum (major DeFi ecosystem).
  • Brian Armstrong (founder) majority class B shares + voting control.
  • 2023 partial SEC lawsuit dismissal — distinctive US crypto regulation milestone.
  • NYDFS BitLicense + extensive US regulatory engagement — distinctive regulatory positioning.
  • Coinbase Custody (institutional + retail) + Coinbase Prime + Coinbase Wallet (Web3 self-custody) + Coinbase Card (Visa debit) + Coinbase Earn (staking + learn-to-earn) + Coinbase Commerce (merchant crypto payments).

Comparison

Feature Coinbase [[binance]] (World's largest crypto exchange by trading volume rival; 300M+ users) [[kraken]] (US-registered crypto exchange rival; Federal Reserve master account Mar 2026) [[okx-wallet]] (Batch 27; major Web3 wallet comparable) [[exodus]] (Batch 27; non-custodial wallet comparable)
Operator Coinbase Global Inc. (NASDAQ: COIN; Brian Armstrong founder + majority class B + voting control + Andreessen Horowitz + Union Square Ventures + institutional + NASDAQ float) Binance Holdings Ltd. (private; multi-jurisdiction; Changpeng Zhao "CZ" founder + majority shareholder; CZ stepped down Nov 2023; Richard Teng CEO) Kraken (Payward Inc.; private; US-registered) OKX (private; Seychelles-headquartered) Exodus Movement Inc. (NYSE American: EXOD)
Type US's largest crypto exchange + 108M+ customers + 60-65% US crypto exchange trading volume + 6.9% global market share + 6th largest worldwide + NASDAQ-listed since Apr 14 2021 (first publicly listed major crypto exchange) + Base L2 blockchain World's largest crypto exchange by trading volume (41.1% global spot in Jun 2025) + 300M+ users + $34T 2025 annual trading volume + BNB Chain US-registered crypto exchange + Federal Reserve master account approved Mar 2026 Major Web3 wallet + centralized exchange Non-custodial multi-chain wallet
Country US + global Global (UAE base; restricted in US) US + UK + CA + global Global (Seychelles base) Global
Users 108M+ customers (120M+ monthly some sources); 60-65% US crypto exchange trading volume; 6.9% global market share; NASDAQ-listed 300M+ users (Dec 2025); $34T 2025 trading volume; 41.1% global spot Jun 2025 13M+ registered users + 5.2M funded accounts Q3 2025; $561.9B Q3 2025 trading volume; $648M Q3 2025 revenue (+114% YoY) Major Web3 wallet Multi-million users
Distinctive Jun 2012 founding by Brian Armstrong + Fred Ehrsam in San Francisco; Apr 14 2021 NASDAQ direct listing (first publicly listed major crypto exchange; NASDAQ: COIN); 60-65% US crypto exchange trading volume; 6th largest worldwide; Base L2 blockchain on Ethereum (Coinbase's own; major DeFi ecosystem); 2023 partial SEC lawsuit dismissal; Coinbase Custody + Coinbase Prime + Coinbase Wallet (Web3 self-custody) + Coinbase Card + Coinbase Earn + Coinbase Commerce + Coinbase Derivatives (CFTC-regulated) Jul 2017 CZ-founded in China; 2017 moved out of China; 2019 Binance.US separate US entity; Nov 2023 CZ stepped down + $4.3B US AML settlement; 2025 ADGM FSRA full authorization + 29 global certifications Federal Reserve master account approved Mar 2026 distinctive (one of first crypto-native firms with direct access to Fed payment rails); Kraken Securities commission-free trading 11,000+ US-listed stocks and ETFs phased rollout from Apr 2025 Web3 wallet major Non-custodial multi-chain

Status

Active, largest US-based cryptocurrency exchange + first publicly listed major crypto exchange [1, 2]:

  • Coinbase Global Inc. (NASDAQ: COIN) since June 2012 (founded by Brian Armstrong + Fred Ehrsam in San Francisco); NASDAQ direct listing April 14, 2021.
  • 108M+ customers + 60-65% US crypto exchange trading volume + 6.9% global market share (6th worldwide).
  • Base L2 blockchain Coinbase's own L2 blockchain on Ethereum (major DeFi ecosystem).
  • SEC + CFTC + FinCEN + NYDFS BitLicense + per-jurisdiction regulated.

Sources

Source

Biography extracted from coinbase.md. See matrix.md for standards-support matrix if present.

source · docs/wallets/coinbase/index.md