Coinbase is accelerating its efforts to dominate global cryptocurrency trading, driven by a surge in liquidity, the expansion of derivatives and spot markets, and growing institutional demand, with CEO Brian Armstrong expressing confidence in the platform's next phase of scale.
Brian Armstrong aims for growth in 2026 as Coinbase liquidity deepens across global markets
Cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase (NASDAQ: COIN) detailed strong momentum across its Markets business, pointing to increased scale, deeper liquidity, and rapid product innovation across its spot and derivatives platforms. The publicly traded company reviewed Coinbase Markets' performance on January 9, 2026, highlighting global expansion, infrastructure upgrades, and increased participation by institutional investors.
Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong shared on social media platform X on January 10th:
We're committed to making Coinbase the best place for you to trade. In 2025, we made great strides with new products, increased access, and improved liquidity. We're excited to take this to the next level in 2026.
Throughout 2025, Coinbase Markets transformed trade access and execution for institutional investors and active participants around the world by delivering category-defining products, improving core infrastructure, and increasing capital efficiency across spot and derivative products.
In U.S. futures trading, the exchange introduced perpetual-style contracts designed for domestic traders, allowing 24-hour trading and supporting 15 contracts across major crypto assets, while generating over $1 billion in open interest during July. The platform also debuts the first equity-linked derivative with the Mag7+ Cryptocurrency Stock Index Futures, offering combined exposure to cryptocurrencies and leading stocks within a single regulated product.
Separately, the company has partnered with Nodal Clear and committed to supporting USDC as eligible collateral in 2026. This is a move aimed at improving efficiency and expanding collateral flexibility for derivatives participants.
read more: Coinbase enters a new era as stocks and prediction markets aim to become the world's number one financial services app
Outside the United States, Coinbase International Exchange has accelerated growth by expanding its product offerings and enhancing trading terms for customers around the world. The venue added 100 new perpetual futures for a total of 199 contracts, expanded eligible collateral to 42 assets, and increased the maximum leverage limit to 50x. Total open interest for all perpetual bonds and futures contracts peaked at $4.8 billion in October, supported by increased participation and deepening liquidity across the venue.
The acquisition of Deribit in August further expanded the scale of derivatives trading, with open interest exceeding $60 billion and peak monthly notional amount exceeding $266 billion in October, strengthening its leadership in crypto options. The spot market has also advanced through the adoption of next-generation matching technology, FIX 5.0, cross-margin capabilities, expansion of lending, and growth of over 350 tradable assets.
Looking ahead, the company explains its future strategy as follows:
In 2026, Coinbase Markets will continue to build a single, seamless, and trusted platform for clients to access the full range of trading products. We plan to expand our product suite to include new indexes, equities and emerging assets sought by traders, while enhancing liquidity, capital efficiency and execution across markets.
“Deribit will be further integrated with our platform to create a truly unified trading experience. By unifying spot, derivatives, and other products into one cohesive environment, we aim to make trading simpler, more powerful, and more accessible for customers around the world,” Coinbase said.
FAQ ðŸ§
- What is Coinbase's core growth strategy for 2026?
In 2026, Coinbase plans to consolidate spot, derivatives, equity-related products, and emerging assets into a single global trading platform to drive increased trading volumes and customer retention. - How could deepening derivatives integration impact Coinbase's 2026 financials?
Deribit's further integration and futures product expansion is expected to increase high-margin derivatives revenue and improve revenue stability through market cycles. - Why is it important for investors that USDC becomes eligible collateral in 2026?
Supporting USDC as collateral could improve capital efficiency, increase derivatives participation, strengthen Coinbase's stablecoin ecosystem, and increase transaction-driven revenue. - What do Coinbase's 2026 product expansions imply for long-term shareholders?
The addition of new indexes, stocks, and global trading instruments suggests that Coinbase is positioning itself as a diversified financial markets platform rather than a pure cryptocurrency exchange.
