Coinbase Bets Big: Major Product Rollout Brings Prediction Markets and Tokenized Stocks to Mainstream

Coinbase just pulled the curtain back on its next big play—and it's aiming straight for the heart of traditional finance.

From Crypto Exchange to Financial Super-App

Forget just buying Bitcoin. The exchange's planned expansion slingshots users into prediction markets and tokenized equities. It's a direct challenge to Wall Street's gatekeepers, letting users speculate on real-world events and own fractional slices of blue-chip stocks—all without the usual brokerage red tape.

Why This Move Cuts Deep

This isn't a side project. It's a full-scale invasion. By bundling these new products under its trusted brand, Coinbase bypasses decades of financial infrastructure. Suddenly, the same app for your crypto portfolio becomes your window into a global casino of 'what-ifs' and a backdoor into equity markets—24/7, no closing bell.

The Fine Print and The Friction

Regulatory landmines litter this path. Prediction markets often tangle with gambling laws, while tokenized securities dance with the SEC's shadow. Coinbase's success hinges on navigating a maze of global rules that change at every border. One wrong step could trigger a crackdown.

The Bottom Line: A New Arena Opens

Coinbase isn't just adding features; it's building a parallel financial system. This rollout signals that the future of investing isn't just digital—it's unified, fluid, and ruthlessly efficient. It turns every user into their own hedge fund, for better or worse. After all, what's more traditional in finance than finding a new, complicated way for people to potentially lose money?

Traders Anticipate New Tools After Images Reveal Coinbase’s Expanding Roadmap

In recent weeks, screenshots that appear to show prediction market and tokenized equity features inside Coinbase apps have circulated on X, fuelling speculation among traders.

According to Bloomberg, Coinbase is expected to announce the launch of new features—including proprietary tokenized U.S. equities—at its December 17 event. Screenshots of the upcoming application have been circulating on X for weeks, though the company has not formally disclosed…

A Coinbase spokesperson said the company WOULD reveal its upcoming products during a livestream on Dec. 17 and encouraged viewers to watch the event for full details.

The push fits with Coinbase’s ambition to become an “everything app” for digital assets, where customers can trade crypto, tokenized versions of traditional securities and, increasingly, event-based markets. It also helps the company keep pace with rivals that are adding similar tools as competition intensifies.

Trading In Digital Stock Representations Surges As Adoption Spreads

Robinhood Markets this year began offering prediction products from Kalshi Inc, giving its users a way to bet on economic and political outcomes. Robinhood and crypto exchange Kraken already list tokenized US stocks and exchange-traded funds in some jurisdictions, although these products remain unavailable in the US itself.

Trading in tokenized equities, which are digital representations of stocks recorded on a blockchain, has been gaining traction. Monthly transfer volumes have risen about 32% in the past 30 days to roughly $1.45B, according to data provider rwa.xyz, as more platforms experiment with bringing traditional assets on chain.

Demand For Event Contracts Climbs As Exchanges Embrace Prediction Tools

Prediction markets, which allow users to wager on the outcomes of events such as elections, sports and macro data releases, have also grown quickly over the past year. They have attracted interest from both traditional exchanges and crypto native firms that see them as a new way to monetize information and order flow.

Gemini, the exchange founded by Tyler and Cameron Winklevoss, recently secured a key approval from the US Commodity Futures Trading Commission to launch its prediction platform, Gemini Titan, for American customers. The licence will allow it to offer event contracts structured as simple yes or no questions.

Crypto.com has struck deals with partners including TRUMP Media & Technology Group to help them build prediction markets, while Robinhood and trading firm Susquehanna have agreed to buy 90% of regulated venue LedgerX, a move that deepens their exposure to event driven crypto derivatives.