Brian Armstrong Drops Bombshell: Coinbase Crushes Crypto ETF Competition

Wall Street's latest gold rush just found its shovel seller.

Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong just revealed the exchange's iron grip on the crypto ETF market—while traditional finance scrambles to catch up. The numbers don't lie: when institutions want crypto exposure, they're routing through Armstrong's empire.

Behind the scenes, Coinbase's infrastructure has become the invisible plumbing of the ETF boom. Custody solutions, liquidity pools, and that coveted regulatory moat give them pole position as billions flood into crypto vehicles.

Meanwhile, legacy players keep launching 'me-too' funds with triple the fees. Guess Wall Street hasn't figured out that crypto natives hate middlemen taking vig on both sides of the trade.

One thing's clear: in the race to bridge crypto and traditional finance, Coinbase isn't just leading—they're rewriting the rulebook.

Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong took to X this week to spotlight a major shift in the crypto world: institutions are going all in. He shared fresh data showing how fast digital assets are gaining traction in traditional finance and Coinbase is right at the center of it all.

Our institutional team is crushing it – two awesome stats from our QBR this week:

1) 8 of the top 10 publicly traded companies with BTC on their balance sheet use Coinbase Prime.

2) There's $140B of crypto in US ETFs, and 81% of that is stored with Coinbase. We’re tracking > 50…

$140 Billion in Crypto ETFs, 81% Secured by Coinbase

Armstrong revealed that US-based exchange-traded funds (ETFs) now hold $140 billion worth of crypto. It’s a huge leap for institutional adoption. Even more striking – 81% of that crypto is held by Coinbase, reinforcing its reputation as the go-to custodian for major players.

Nate Geraci, president of the ETF Store, added more to the picture. Spot Bitcoin ETFs saw $1.3 billion in inflows just last week, extending a 14-day streak of positive inflows that has now reached $4.6 billion in total. The demand from institutions shows no signs of slowing down.

Over 50 New ETF Filings Hint at What’s Coming

According to Armstrong, more than 50 new ETF filings have been submitted in 2025 alone. It’s a clear sign that the momentum is just getting started.

One notable filing is from KraneShares, which has proposed a Coinbase 50 Index ETF. This fund WOULD track the 50 largest and most liquid digital assets by market cap. Geraci believes this is just the beginning, predicting a massive wave of similar crypto index ETF filings ahead.

Coinbase Prime Leads in Corporate Crypto Custody

Armstrong also highlighted that eight of the top ten publicly traded companies holding bitcoin are using Coinbase Prime—the exchange’s institutional-grade custody and trading platform.

This points to Coinbase’s growing role in bridging traditional finance with the crypto space, offering secure and trusted infrastructure for companies looking to get serious about digital assets.

Coinbase to Launch U.S. Perpetual-Style Futures

In a big MOVE for the U.S. derivatives market, Coinbase is set to launch perpetual-style futures on July 21 through its derivatives exchange. These contracts will offer exposure to price movements with leverage, while staying fully compliant with CFTC regulations.

The launch will include two products: Nano Bitcoin perpetual-style futures (0.01 BTC) and Nano Ether perpetual-style futures (0.1 ETH). These new futures are designed to closely track spot prices and fill a growing gap in the U.S. crypto derivatives space.