Bank of America upgrades Coinbase to 'buy' as exchange moves beyond crypto

Core Viewpoint - Bank of America has upgraded Coinbase to a "buy" rating, emphasizing the exchange's ambitions to diversify beyond crypto trading and its evolving business model [1] Group 1: Business Expansion Plans - Coinbase is transitioning towards becoming an "everything exchange," allowing users to trade stocks, buy crypto, make peer-to-peer payments, and engage in prediction markets [1] - Upcoming features include 24/5 stock and ETF trading for S&P 500 names, international equity perpetuals launching in 2026, and a new prediction markets tab through a partnership with Kalshi [2] - The expansion aims to enhance user engagement and diversify revenue streams beyond the core crypto trading business, which is sensitive to price fluctuations in assets like bitcoin [3] Group 2: Strategic Initiatives - Coinbase is investing in Base, its Ethereum layer-2 network, with plans to introduce a native token to decentralize the platform and incentivize usage, potentially raising billions in cash [4] - The Coinbase Tokenize platform aims to bring real-world assets, such as private equity and real estate, onto the blockchain, targeting asset managers and younger on-chain investors [5] Group 3: Financial Outlook - Despite a 40% decline in COIN's stock price since July and increasing short interest, Bank of America maintains a $340 price target, indicating nearly 40% upside potential [6] - While Coinbase's near-term financials are susceptible to crypto price volatility, the long-term vision is for the company to evolve from a trading platform into a comprehensive financial hub [7]