Coinbase plans to ramp up its stablecoin business and drive wider onchain adoption in 2026, CEO and founder Brian Armstrong said in a New Years Day post.
Armstrong wrote that Coinbases overarching ambition is to become #1 financial app in the world, outlining a strategy that centers on scaling stablecoins and payments while expanding into new asset classes and markets.
According to Armstrong, Coinbase aims to deepen its footprint not only in crypto, but also in equities, prediction markets, and commodities. He added that the company will make major investments in automation and product quality, and will lean on its Ethereum layer-2 network Base and the Base app to bring the world onchain.
The comments follow a New Years Eve update from David Duong, Coinbases Global Head of Investment Research. Duong argued that regulatory clarity and institutional participation are converging to make crypto part of the financial core, and pointed to spot crypto ETFs, stablecoins, and tokenization as key drivers of the next phase of growth.
Duong suggested that these elements could converge in 2026, as ETF approval timelines shorten, stablecoins play a larger role in delivery-versus-payment (DvP) structures, and tokenized collateral gains broader acceptance in traditional financial transactions.
The strategic push comes after Coinbase reported stronger-than-expected Q3 results, including a 26% quarter-on-quarter revenue increase to $1.9 billion. In September, the company also said it was considering a native token for Base, while stressing that no launch timeline has been set.
Some industry observers question how quickly Coinbase can realize its ambitions. While acknowledging that the firm enjoyed a positive 2025, they argue that Armstrongs latest remarks should be seen more as a long-term roadmap than a one-year plan.
Coinbases aims are directionally sound but overstate near-term feasibility; true adoption hinges on solving real problems, not just moving users onchain for its own sake, said Anndy Lian, an intergovernmental blockchain advisor and Chief Digital Advisor at the Mongolia Productivity Organization.
Speaking to Decrypt, Lian described Coinbase as a critical onramp for both retail and institutional users, but said that bringing the world onchain simplifies what is likely to be a lengthy adoption process.
He argued that Coinbases main strengths lie in infrastructure such as custody and fiat rails, rather than building consumer-facing applications. Its goals, he added, are realistic only if they focus on enabling other developers use cases rather than leading every vertical itself.
Looking ahead, Lian expects the broader crypto sector in 2026 to re-center on user-centric utility after the speculative excesses of previous cycles. He anticipates more relatable, non-speculative applications, such as travel platforms offering seamless cross-border rewards in crypto, supply chain tracking for ethical sourcing, and healthcare data interoperability on permissioned chains.
Lian also forecast more mature enterprise adoption across finance (tokenized assets), healthcare (secure patient records), and supply chains (provenance verification), while warning that long-term success will depend on interoperability and clear regulation.
Coinbase has been contacted for comment.