Coinbase Institutional Data Reveals Corporate Crypto Treasury Pause Following Market Correction
Recent market turbulence has prompted publicly traded companies to temporarily halt their Bitcoin and Ethereum accumulation strategies, according to data from Coinbase Institutional. The October 10-11 crypto market crash saw Bitcoin decline 9% to below $110,500 and Ethereum plummet over 15% to $3,686, triggering a significant reduction in buying activity among digital asset treasury (DAT) firms. This development marks a notable shift in corporate cryptocurrency investment behavior as companies adopt a more cautious approach amid market volatility. The pause in accumulation strategies represents the first major pullback in corporate crypto adoption since the trend gained momentum, suggesting that even institutional investors are susceptible to market sentiment shifts. While prices have partially recovered since the initial crash, the hesitation among corporate treasuries indicates a potential recalibration of risk assessment frameworks for digital assets. This data from Coinbase provides valuable insights into how institutional players are navigating the evolving cryptocurrency landscape and may signal a more measured approach to corporate crypto adoption moving forward.
Corporate Bitcoin and Ethereum Treasuries Halt Accumulation Post-Market Crash
Publicly traded companies holding Bitcoin and Ethereum have paused their accumulation strategies following the recent crypto market downturn. Coinbase Institutional data reveals a significant drop in buying activity among digital asset treasury (DAT) firms since the October 10-11 crash.
Bitcoin fell 9% to below $110,500 during the selloff, while ethereum plunged over 15% to $3,686. Though prices have partially recovered—BTC to $114,000 and ETH to $4,130—institutional accumulation remains at near year-to-date lows. "DATs haven't meaningfully resumed buying, even on green days," noted David Duong, Coinbase's head of institutional research.
The hesitation reflects deepening uncertainty among corporate crypto holders. Many DAT firms now trade closer to their underlying crypto valuations, suggesting eroded confidence in digital assets as treasury reserves.
Citi and Coinbase Partner to Modernize Institutional Crypto Payments
Citi and Coinbase unveiled a strategic partnership on October 27, 2025, aimed at bridging traditional finance and digital assets. The collaboration targets institutional pain points in fiat-crypto conversions, particularly the limitations of legacy settlement systems that fail to operate 24/7 despite round-the-clock crypto markets.
The initiative will initially focus on streamlining fiat deposits and withdrawals through Coinbase's platform, with plans to develop real-time settlement tools. "With more than 300 payment clearing networks across 94 markets globally," said Citi's Debopama Sen, positioning the MOVE as an expansion of the bank's network strategy rather than a departure from traditional finance.
Future phases will explore stablecoin conversion mechanisms and enhanced payment rails, signaling growing institutional acceptance of crypto infrastructure. The partnership underscores Wall Street's accelerating embrace of blockchain-based settlement solutions.
Ethereum Emerges as Potential App Store for AI Agents with New ERC-8004 Standard
Ethereum is positioning itself as the foundational platform for AI agent ecosystems through the development of ERC-8004, a novel technical standard unveiled this summer. The protocol, now undergoing peer review with testnet deployments active, enables AI agents to be minted and traded as NFTs while leveraging Ethereum's existing ERC-721 infrastructure for discoverability and reputation tracking.
Spearheaded by industry leaders including MetaMask's AI Lead Marco de Rossi and Ethereum Foundation's Davide Crapis, the standard incorporates x402—an open payment protocol developed by Coinbase. This integration allows AI agents to autonomously transact, potentially creating markets where agents hire each other for task completion, mirroring Google's A2A architecture in decentralized form.
The initiative could disrupt traditional SaaS models by enabling developers to monetize specialized AI tools across productivity, trading, and subscription management verticals. Early implementations suggest Ethereum's smart contract capabilities may provide the missing infrastructure for an open AI economy.
Figment and Coinbase Prime Expand Institutional Staking Partnership
Figment, a leading institutional staking infrastructure platform with over $18 billion in assets under stake, has deepened its collaboration with Coinbase Prime. The partnership, announced on October 28, 2025, leverages Coinbase Prime's trading, financing, and custody infrastructure to broaden institutional staking solutions beyond Ethereum.
The alliance builds on their 2024 launch of Ethereum staking, which has since grown to over $2 billion in staked assets. Both firms recently supported Grayscale's push for the first U.S. Ethereum staking ETF. "Our focus on security and performance aligns perfectly with Coinbase Prime's institutional-grade infrastructure," said Figment co-founder Lorien Gabel.
