Here are our top priorities for 2026 at Coinbase:
1) Grow the everything exchange globally (crypto, equities, prediction markets, commodities - across spot, futures, and options)
2) Scale stablecoins and payments
The post unpacked how Coinbase aims to move closer to this goal in 2026, with the company focusing on scaling stablecoins and payments, while also expanding its presence globally in crypto, equities, prediction markets and commodities.
While Coinbase did have a positive 2025, some industry commentators suggest that Brian Armstrong’s latest tweet may have been intentionally hyperbolic, and should be taken perhaps more as a long-term strategy than as goals for this year.
“Coinbase’s 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 currently the Chief Digital Advisor at the Mongolia Productivity Organization.
Speaking to Decrypt, Lian agreed that Coinbase is a “critical onramp” for retail and institutions, but that its stated aim of ‘bringing the world onchain’ oversimplifies the drawn-out process of adoption.
Coinbase's strengths lie in infrastructure such as custody and fiat rails, rather than "building these vertical applications," he said, adding that the exchange's aims "are realistic only if they enable others’ use cases—not lead them."
Having said that, Lian’s prediction for the wider cryptocurrency industry is that there will be a reemphasis on “user-centric utility” in 2026.
“After the speculative excesses of previous cycles, 2026 will prioritize relatable, non-speculative applications," he explained, pointing to examples such as travel platforms using crypto for seamless cross-border rewards, supply chain tracking for ethical sourcing, and healthcare data interoperability via permissioned chains.
Lian also suggested that 2026 will see enterprise adoption mature in finance (e.g. tokenized assets), healthcare (e.g. secure patient records) and supply chains (e.g. provenance verification), but that, ultimately, success depends on interoperability and regulation.
Coinbase has been contacted for comment.
