Company Profile
| Parent Company | Coinbase Global, Inc. (NASDAQ: COIN) |
|---|---|
| Ownership | Public company (direct listing April 2021); dual-class shares with founders/insiders controlling majority voting power (~60%); major shareholders include Vanguard, BlackRock, Brian Armstrong (~14-15% economic stake) |
| Headquarters | Remote-first company; legal HQ: Wilmington, Delaware, United States |
| Founded | 2012 |
| Founders | Brian Armstrong, Fred Ehrsam |
| CEO / Leadership | CEO: Brian Armstrong (Co-founder); President & COO: Emilie Choi; CFO: Alesia Haas; Chief Legal Officer: Paul Grewal |
| Employees | ~4,700 (Sep 2025); previously reported ~3,400 (2024) |
Funding and Valuation
| Funding | Raised ~$1.7-1.8B pre-IPO across multiple rounds: Seed (2012, $150k Y Combinator), Series A (2013, $6M), Series B (2013, $25M Andreessen Horowitz), Series C (2015, $75M), Series D (2017, $100M+), Series E (2018, $300M Tiger Global et al.); Post-IPO debt/equity rounds incl. $1.25B (2021) |
|---|---|
| Revenue / Valuation | 2025 revenue: ~$7.1B (doubled YoY); Q4 2025 revenue $1.7B; Market cap fluctuated $50-100B+ (e.g., $103B Jul 2025); Recent stock price implies ~$40-50B valuation (Mar 2026) |
Licensing and Regulation
Money transmitter licenses in ... NY Virtual Currency License (1... EU: VASP registrations (Irelan... MiCA compliance Coinbase Custody (NY trust cha... full list on [Coinbase License...
Money transmitter licenses in 40+ US states (e.g., NY MT 103755, CA MT-0928767) / NY Virtual Currency License (122466) / EU: VASP registrations (Ireland C455715, Germany 10158674, Luxembourg N00000004) / Coinbase Custody (NY trust charter) / full list on Coinbase Licenses
Native Token
None for main exchange; cbBTC (wrapped BTC) with PoR; Base L2 exploring token (no launch as of Mar 2026)
Regulatory History
SEC case dismissed (Feb 2025)
CFTC $6.5M fine (2021, reporting/wash trading)
Central Bank of Ireland €21.5M AML fine (Nov 2025, confirmed Jan 2026)
UK ASA ad bans (2026, risk trivialization)
Ongoing SEC/CFTC scrutiny pre-2025
Security Track Record
- 2025 data breach (May): Insiders bribed, ~69k users' data (names, IDs, no keys/funds) exposed
- $20M ransom refused, $180-400M remediation
- Prior: Phishing/SMS hacks (2021, 2023), no major fund thefts from hot/cold wallets
| Proof of Reserves | Publishes PoR for cbBTC (1:1 BTC backing); General custody transparency reports; No full exchange-wide PoR noted but strong insurance/cold storage emphasis |
|---|
Sister Brands
Coinbase Pro (now integrated)Coinbase PrimeCoinbase CustodyCoinbase WalletBase (L2 chain)CoinDesk (via acquisition?)recent acquires: Echo (2025$375M)The Clearing Company (pred. markets)StrykSpindl
Key Events
2012
Founded
2013
Major VC funding
2015
GDAX/Coinbase Pro
2018
$8B valuation Series E
2021
Public listing (first crypto firm), USDC co-launch
2022
NFT marketplace
2025
Base token exploration, multiple acquires, Q4 earnings highs
2026
EU MiCA, prediction markets push