A successful hack of Binance, the world's largest cryptocurrency exchange, has led to the theft of $6.3 billion in assets. In response, the exchange has promised to make all customers whole but has also paused all withdrawals from its platform.
Coinbase's vision to become an "everything exchange" could prove to be more succesful than expected, driving faster revenue growth from new trading products.
Bears
Cryptocurrency markets have historically been deeply cyclical, with long periods of low prices and depressed trading volume. Persistent cryptocurrency weakness could put significant pressure on Coinbase.
Founded in 2012, Coinbase is the leading cryptocurrency exchange platform in the United States. The company intends to be the safe and regulation-compliant point of entry for retail investors and institutions into the cryptocurrency economy. Users can establish an account directly with the firm, instead of using an intermediary, and many choose to allow Coinbase to act as a custodian for their cryptocurrency, giving the company breadth beyond that of a traditional financial exchange. While the company still generates the majority of its revenue from transaction fees charged to its retail customers, Coinbase uses internal investment and acquisitions to expand into adjacent businesses, such as prime brokerage and data analytics.