Cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase announced the launch of stock trading and the entry of a prediction marketplace

Coinbase, the largest crypto exchange in the US, has announced a major product line upgrade that will give users access to the stock and prediction market. The company sees the opening of the stock section as the first step towards the global tokenization of assets. On the day of the announcement, Deutsche Bank began analyst coverage of Coinbase stock with a "buy" recommendation, despite a prolonged cryptocurrency selloff.

Coinbase has begun opening up access to U.S. users to trade stocks and ETFs through its Capital Markets division. Transactions will take place in a single interface with cryptocurrencies, and assets can be paid for with both dollars and USDC steiblecoins. The exchange promises continuous commission-free trading and 24/7 access to select securities on weekdays, but details of its monetization model are not disclosed, The Block writes.

Coinbase positions the launch of stock trading as a preparation for tokenization of securities. In early 2026, the exchange plans to offer customers outside the United States perpetual futures on U.S. stocks. In addition, the company announced the Coinbase Tokenize platform. It will be specifically designed for issuing and managing tokenized securities.

Coinbase is also entering the prediction market. The exchange has announced it will begin trading contracts on event outcomes through a partnership with regulated platform Kalshi, The Block reported. The company has promised to add other platforms over time.

The prediction market, which allows for such bets, has gained popularity dramatically over the past year. Robinhood Markets has launched Kalshi products, billionaire brothers Winklevoss' crypto exchange Gemini has received regulatory approval to introduce similar functionality, and Crypto.com has partnered with Trump Media & Technology Group to work on offerings in this segment, Bloomberg notes.

Coinbase has expanded access to derivatives for the masses. Futures and open-ended contracts, which were previously hidden in the section for experienced Coinbase Advanced clients, have been moved to the main section of the application. The interface itself has been simplified as much as possible: the mechanism for opening positions with leverage is now almost identical to spot trading.

In addition, Coinbase has integrated the Jupiter liquidity aggregator, the largest in the Solana ecosystem. This will allow customers to trade new tokens directly within the Coinbase app interface, eliminating the need to understand the intricacies of decentralized exchanges, notes The Block. "Coinbase is now the best place to trade any asset, not just cryptocurrencies," Bloomberg quoted company head Brian Armstrong as saying at the presentation of new products.

Coinbase shares jumped by 1.5% on the Nasdaq after falling by 3.3% at the end of the main session. At the pre-market on December 18, the growth of quotes of the largest crypto exchange in the U.S. accelerated to 2.1%.

Although the cryptocurrency market has been in a selloff for the third month, Deutsche Bank initiated coverage of Coinbase on Dec. 17 with a Buy rating on the stock with a target price of $340 per paper, which implies a market value increase of nearly 40%. Wall Street's consensus on Coinbase is "above market" (Overweight), with a majority of analysts (23 out of 38) recommending buying the stock, on average forecasting a 55% upside potential.

This article was AI-translated and verified by a human editor