Core Insights - The market concentration in South Korea's virtual asset exchange sector is easing, with Bithumb's market share significantly recovering [1] Market Overview - As of Q4 2025, the total trading volume of the top five Korean won exchanges is approximately 402 trillion KRW [1] - Upbit's market share has decreased to 65%, down from nearly 80% at the end of 2024 [1] - Bithumb's market share has increased to 31.1%, reflecting a rise of about 10 percentage points over the past year [1] - The remaining exchanges, Coinone, Korbit, and Gopax, collectively hold less than 4% market share, indicating that liquidity remains highly concentrated in the top two platforms [1]

Core Viewpoint - Analysts at Goldman Sachs have expressed renewed confidence in Coinbase, suggesting that the stock's past underperformance has created an attractive entry point for investors [1][4] Company Performance - Coinbase's stock dropped by 8.04% over the past year, but year-to-date figures indicate a gain of 4.59% [2] - Veteran investor Cathie Wood continues to acquire Coinbase shares through ARK Invest, with the stock holding the seventh-largest position in ARKW at 4.7% ($99 million) [3] Analyst Insights - Goldman Sachs analyst James Yaro expects Coinbase's valuation to strengthen as the company transitions from cyclical to structural growth, highlighting its strong business fundamentals [4] - Yaro noted that Coinbase's scale and brand recognition drive above-average revenue growth and market share gains, supported by recent product rollouts [5] - Analysts have shown greater enthusiasm for Coinbase, with Clear Street analyst Owen Lau naming it a top fintech idea for 2026, emphasizing its role in blockchain-based financial infrastructure [2] Growth Projections - Coinbase's subscription and services segment has expanded from under 5% of revenue in 2020 to nearly 40% by 2025 estimates, with expected robust growth of around 13% annually from 2025 to 2027 [7][6]

Coinbase (COIN) is pulling back some of its operations in Argentina, less than a year after formally entering the country’s crypto market. The U.S.-based exchange informed users via an email shared widely on social media that it will suspend the ability to buy or sell the USDC stablecoin using Argentine pesos, effective Jan. 31, 2026. After that deadline, traders will no longer be able to withdraw pesos to local banks or on-ramp with fiat. The company described the move as a “deliberate pause,” saying i ...

Core Insights - Coinbase Ventures identifies key growth trends in the cryptocurrency sector for 2026, focusing on real-world assets, advanced DeFi, prediction markets, and the integration of AI with blockchain technology [1][2] Group 1: Investment Trends - Venture funding in the cryptocurrency space surged to $4.65 billion in Q3 2025, marking the highest level since early 2023, indicating strong investor interest despite sideways trading in major cryptocurrencies [1] - The investment focus is shifting towards themes such as perpetual futures for real-world assets, advanced decentralized finance (DeFi) solutions, and the intersection of AI and blockchain [2] Group 2: Real-World Assets (RWAs) - RWAs allow trading on-chain exposure to traditional assets like US Treasuries and commodities, with tokenized Treasuries increasing from approximately $700 million to over $8 billion in two years as institutions seek on-chain yield [3] - Coinbase Ventures is emphasizing perpetual futures on RWAs, which act as perpetual bets on asset prices rather than direct ownership [3][4] Group 3: DeFi Innovations - Perpetuals are highlighted as essential components that integrate with lending protocols, enabling leveraged bets while collateral earns yield, akin to margin trading in traditional finance [5] - The focus on unsecured, credit-based lending aims to transition a portion of the trillion-dollar off-chain credit market onto the blockchain, moving away from overcollateralized loans towards models resembling real-world credit cards and business loans [5]

Coinbase informed Argentine users on January 3, 2026, that it will discontinue peso-to-USDC trading on its platform effective January 31, marking a strategic retreat from local currency operations barely a year after launching with regulatory approval. The exchange emphasized that crypto-to-crypto trading remains fully operational while giving customers a 30-day window to convert and withdraw their pesos. “At Coinbase we are continuously reevaluating the products we offer to ensure the most efficient ex ...

Core Insights - Coinbase aims to become the leading financial app globally by developing an "everything exchange" that encompasses various asset classes including crypto, equities, prediction markets, and commodities [2][3] - The company is positioning itself as a competitor to Robinhood and traditional brokerages by offering 24-hour stock trading with zero commissions [2] - A significant focus is on tokenized equities, which will allow for 24/7 trading and lower costs compared to traditional exchanges [3] Group 1: Strategic Priorities - The first priority is to achieve global dominance by expanding the everything exchange across multiple asset classes [2] - The second priority involves scaling the use of USDC stablecoin for everyday transactions, aiming to replace traditional banking fees [4][5] - The third priority leverages Coinbase's Ethereum layer-2 network, Base, to enhance on-chain activities and improve product quality [6] Group 2: Market Dynamics - Regulatory clarity and institutional adoption are converging to integrate crypto into the financial core, driven by factors such as spot crypto ETFs and stablecoin usage [6][7] - The recent approval of the GENIUS Act is seen as a catalyst for aggressive USDC adoption [5] - The stock price of Coinbase (COIN) is currently testing critical support at $218, following a 48% decline from its peak in July [10] Group 3: Price Analysis - COIN has shown a 3.32% increase after touching the lower Bollinger Band at $218.32, indicating potential for a bounce from this support level [10] - Immediate resistance levels are identified at $260.32, $251.52, and $284.73, with upside targets ranging from $260 to $340 on sustained breakout [11] - A break below $218 could lead to targets of $200, with further risks below $180 potentially opening up to $150-$160 [11]

Binance’s Asia-Pacific leadership predicts a “bullish reset” in 2026, where real-world crypto use beats meme-fuelled hype. The call comes as Binance reports strong institutional flows and a pivot toward regulation-first growth, even while many altcoins still chop sideways. This fits a wider 2024–2025 shift where exchanges, lawmakers, and big money treat crypto less like a casino and more like long-term financial plumbing. What Does Binance’s 2026 ‘Bullish Reset’ Call Actually Mean? When Binance talks a ...

Group 1 - The UK and several countries have begun implementing reporting requirements consistent with the CARF (Crypto Asset Reporting Framework) [1][2] - Exchanges, such as Coinbase (COIN), are mandated to share user transaction data with tax authorities [1][2]

Core Insights - South Korean cryptocurrency exchange Bithumb has identified over $200 million in dormant customer assets across approximately 2.6 million inactive accounts [1][3][8] Group 1: Dormant Asset Recovery Campaign - The discovery is part of a dormant asset recovery initiative targeting users who have not logged in or traded for over a year [3] - Inactive balances amount to about 291.6 billion Korean won, equivalent to roughly $201.8 million, with some accounts inactive for more than a decade [3][4] - Bithumb plans to notify eligible customers directly and assist with account recovery as part of its customer protection efforts [7] Group 2: Historical Context and Asset Performance - The largest dormant balance identified was approximately $2.84 million, with the longest inactivity period reaching 4,380 days, nearly 12 years [4][8] - Many dormant accounts were abandoned as market conditions changed, and some users may have underestimated the value of their holdings, which appreciated significantly over time [5] - Certain dormant assets recorded gains exceeding 61,000%, illustrating how early investments in crypto can yield substantial returns over long periods of inactivity [5][6] Group 3: Comparison with Bitcoin - The returns on some forgotten assets on Bithumb outperformed Bitcoin, which saw a gain of about 11,300% from around $767 in early 2014 to recent prices near $87,700 [6] - This comparison highlights the potential for extreme results from early exposure to cryptocurrency combined with long-term inactivity [6]

Group 1: Dormant Asset Recovery Campaign - Bithumb is launching its third annual dormant asset recovery campaign, with unclaimed cryptocurrency holdings decreasing to 291.6 billion won ($201 million), a 34% drop from last year's 443.5 billion won ($306 million) [1] - The campaign targets 2.57 million accounts that have shown no login or trading activity for at least one year, with the largest single dormant holding at 4.1 billion won ($2.8 million) [2] - The longest unclaimed account has remained untouched for 4,380 days, indicating that some of Bithumb's earliest users have not checked their holdings since the exchange's founding in 2013 [3] Group 2: Market Position and User Statistics - Bithumb remains South Korea's second-largest cryptocurrency exchange, with 2.42 million monthly active users (MAU), significantly trailing Upbit's 4.53 million MAU [4] - The gap between Bithumb and the third-largest exchange, Coinone, is more than fourfold, highlighting Bithumb's strong market position [4] - Bithumb's 24-hour trading volume is $383 million, approximately 45% of Upbit's $844 million, reflecting its competitive standing in the market [5]