Coinbase Wants to Be the 'Everything Exchange' — Stocks, Perpetuals, and AI Under One Roof. Here's What That Means

WHY IT MATTERS

Think of Coinbase like a store that used to only sell one type of product — cryptocurrency. Now imagine that store deciding to also sell stocks, offer advanced trading tools, and add AI-powered features, essentially trying to become a financial supermarket. For everyday users, this could mean you'd eventually be able to buy Bitcoin, Apple stock, and use sophisticated trading strategies all in one app. It matters because if Coinbase succeeds, it could blur the lines between crypto platforms and traditional finance, making it easier for regular people to access a wide range of financial products in one place. 'Perpetual futures' (or 'perps') are a type of trading contract popular in crypto that lets you bet on price movements without actually owning the asset — they're powerful but risky tools that have mostly been available on overseas platforms until now.