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Cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase said it plans to launch Coinbase Tokenize, an institutional platform designed to bring real-world assets (RWAs) on-chain.
Speaking during the “Coinbase System Update 2025” presentation on Dec. 17, Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong described Coinbase Tokenize as “our end-to-end solution for bringing off-chain assets on-chain,” combining “issuance, custody, compliance, and trading all in one place.”
Armstrong said the platform is intended to support a wide range of assets, “from equities to private companies, funds, real estate, and more, adding that Coinbase’s existing partners and user base mean the pieces are already in place for its Tokenize platform:
“On the one hand, we have millions of retail and institutional investors who hold over 500 billion in assets on our platform, and they’re looking for differentiated opportunities to invest in. On the other hand, we work with the world’s largest institutions and funds already, who already trust us for institutional-grade custody.”
Integrating TradFi
The tokenization initiative was presented alongside Coinbase’s expansion into traditional securities trading, as part of its broader “everything exchange” strategy, which it first teased in August.
The company said it has begun rolling out stock and exchange-traded fund trading to U.S. users, with trades settled in either U.S. dollars or Circle's stablecoin, USDC. Yesterday’s announcement confirmed that alongside its Tokenize platform and stock trading, Coinbase will integrate predictions markets, futures and perpetual swaps, token sales — which it already debuted with Monad — and DEX trading, as well as tools for developers and businesses.
The exchange said it plans to add thousands of additional stocks over the coming months and to broaden stock perpetual futures early next year for users outside of the U.S. The firm also said it plans to launch tokenized stocks, noting that Coinbase Tokenize “will bring together all the necessary infrastructure to power access to tokenized stocks on Coinbase.”
The push into tokenized assets comes as the market for freely on-chain traded RWAs is approaching $19 billion, while walled-garden RWAs have surpassed $410 billion in allocated liquidity, according to data from RWAxyz. However, a new report from RWAio warns that blockchain fragmentation is costing the sector millions, if not billions, of dollars a year.
Last week, Coinbase’s senior protocol specialist announced at Solana Breakpoint that the exchange would let users trade any Solana-based asset via its built-in DEX, without the tokens being officially listed on the centralized exchange. Yesterday’s presentation confirmed that news, noting that via its integrated DEX, users can “trade millions of Solana tokens.”