Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong referred to as for calm after the corporate’s inventory fell on Wall Avenue, defending the corporate as experiencing one in every of its strongest intervals (in accordance with him) regardless of the inventory market decline.
In a message printed on the X social community on February 17, 2026, the supervisor acknowledged that “Coinbase and cryptocurrencies are in a stronger place than ever earlier than.” Moreover, the American businessman mentioned: Conventional markets will underestimate the scope of the enterprise and the position it performs in remodeling the monetary system.
Armstrong mentioned that in a session with analysts, he answered a query about why Coinbase is commonly “misunderstood and undervalued” on Wall Avenue. In his opinion, The corporate represents a basic case of the so-called “innovation dilemma.”the place disruptive applied sciences create resistance amongst current actors.
The world’s largest disruptive improvements observe this sample. Have a look at instances like Uber, Airbnb, self-driving automobiles, the introduction of synthetic intelligence, and even SpaceX vs. NASA. Cryptocurrencies are immediately disrupting Wall Avenue, so it is no marvel some on Wall Avenue have misconceptions about them and Coinbase. The neatest individuals will undertake them. The stragglers shall be left behind.
Brian Armstrong, founder and director of Coinbase.
As Armstrong defined, whereas related departments at main monetary establishments have already launched providers associated to cryptocurrencies, different departments stay skeptical. This division is because of financial incentives and Inertia typical of conventional monetary techniques.
Working outcomes and inventory market strain
Past the strategic narrative, Armstrong defended: The corporate’s fundamentals present first rate progress. Over the previous three years, the alternate has expanded and diversified its enterprise areas and diminished its unique reliance on buying and selling charges. Recall that Coinbase is the first custodian of Bitcoin (BTC) and Ether (ETH) supporting ETFs, as reported by CriptoNoticias.
In the identical X publish, the CEO reported: Coinbase’s complete buying and selling quantity elevated by 156% YoY And its market share has doubled. Equally, he asserted that the belongings saved on the platform have tripled in three years and now has 12 merchandise, every producing greater than $100 million yearly. The corporate additionally reported that metrics associated to USDC and its subscription service Coinbase One hit document highs.
Armstrong added that the determine, which relies on GAAP accounting ideas (Typically Accepted Accounting Rules in the US), contains unrealized good points and losses on cryptocurrencies held on the stability sheet, which may affect the web revenue measurement. He mentioned the corporate would have ended the ultimate quarter within the black if the adjusted outcomes had been adhered to. Even in a bear market surroundings.
Market notion is completely different
Regardless of this information and the optimism Mr. Armstrong is attempting to convey, the worth of Coinbase (COIN) inventory is It continues to mirror investor disappointment.
The almost 50% drop in comparison with the earlier excessive (reached on July 18, 2025) exhibits that some out there nonetheless have doubts concerning the sector’s valuation and the tempo of consolidation.
The distinction between efficiency and inventory market actions leaves room for debate as as to whether present costs are responding to short-term undervaluation (as Armstrong believes) or to actual structural dangers perceived by Wall Avenue within the crypto ecosystem.
On this context, it can’t be neglected that its collapse coincides with a second of disaster. Direct battle of curiosity between Coinbase and the normal banking system (It is a large deal for Wall Avenue) particularly in terms of regulating stablecoins and exploring authorized frameworks similar to transparency legal guidelines.
For Coinbase, stablecoins (similar to USDC) are basic, however for conventional banks they signify a menace to their monopoly.
The shortage of clear definition in Washington about who can subject these belongings and on what phrases has created regulatory bottlenecks that Wall Avenue giants use to justify skepticism or purchase time whereas they attempt to launch their very own alternate options.
