Coinbase CEO Takes Davos 2026 Stage to Pitch Crypto Adoption Directly to Global Leaders

DAVOS—The world's most powerful politicians and financiers gathered in the Swiss Alps this week, and among them was a new kind of evangelist: the CEO of America's largest crypto exchange, making his case directly to the halls of power.

The Davos Pitch

Forget backroom lobbying. This year's World Economic Forum featured a main-stage push for digital assets, framed not as a niche tech trend but as the inevitable next layer of global financial infrastructure. The argument hinged on efficiency—painting legacy systems as slow, expensive, and exclusionary.

Cutting Out the Middleman

The core proposition? Blockchain technology bypasses traditional gatekeepers. It slashes settlement times from days to seconds and reduces fees by eliminating layers of intermediaries. The message to central bankers and finance ministers was clear: adapt or watch innovation flow to more welcoming jurisdictions.

A Calculated Gambit

Targeting Davos is a strategic power play. It moves the conversation from regulatory compliance to geopolitical competition. The subtext: if the US and EU drag their feet, the digital economy's rails will be built elsewhere, taking capital and influence with them—a classic Davos fear, neatly repackaged.

The closing takeaway was blunt. The technology isn't waiting for permission. It's building a parallel system. The only question for leaders is whether they want a seat at the table designing it, or find themselves later buying a ticket to use it—probably at a premium set by some hedge fund in the Caymans.

Armstrong’s takeaways from Davos 2025

Last year, the Coinbase chief reported that cryptocurrency and artificial intelligence were the most discussed topics at Davos apart from President Donald TRUMP himself. 

Armstrong said nearly every conversation with major market leaders centered on the Trump administration’s cryptocurrency plans, particularly the proposed Strategic bitcoin Reserve, which Trump later established in March 2025 via an executive order.

“President Trump is forcing everyone to up their game,” Armstrong wrote on X following the forum. “Basically every conversation I had with major market leaders was focused on what the Trump Admin planned to do on crypto – eg, on a Strategic Bitcoin Reserve – and how they can avoid being left behind.”

During a panel discussion at the forum, Armstrong stated that it was the “dawn of a new day” for cryptocurrency, contrasting with what he characterized as hostility from the previous administration. “You have to remember: the last four years, we really felt like we were being attacked by this administration,” he told CNBC in Davos.

Bitcoin did rise to its all-time high of over $126,198 in October 2025; however, it also crashed briefly that same month and hasn’t risen above $100,000 since November 2025.

Coinbase CEO to speak with bank CEOs

The second thing on Armstrong’s to-do list at Davos 2026 is to work with bank CEOs to find working legislation that works for all of them. “We’re going to continue to work on market structure legislation and meet with some of the bank CEOs to figure out how we can make this a win-win,” he stated.

Given the current boom in the usage of stablecoins, jurisdictions like the United States and Hong Kong have made legislation like the GENIUS Act and Stablecoin Ordinance, respectively, and they are not alone, as more have made and are making regulations that govern stablecoins. 

The United States is currently working on more robust crypto legislation known as the CLARITY Act, and some of its provisions, alongside those in the GENIUS Act, are of concern for stakeholders like Armstrong and CEOs of some major banks.

So, it’s no surprise that Armstrong wants to speak with them to forge a way to work together.

“Stablecoins should be an opportunity for both banks and crypto companies as long as we’re all treated on a level playing field,” he said, adding that final decisions WOULD be deferred to the Senate and the current administration.

Democratizing capital markets

Armstrong’s third priority focused on tokenization and its potential to expand access to investment opportunities. He cited approximately 4 billion adults globally who lack access to brokerage services and quality investments.

“There’s about 4 billion adults globally that are unbrokered. They don’t have access to any kind of high quality investments,” Armstrong said. “This is the engine of wealth creation that everybody should have access to, and crypto’s gonna help make that happen.”

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