Coinbase Shakes Up Crypto: Prediction Markets & Tokenized Stocks Go Live December 17

Brace for impact—Coinbase just dropped a financial grenade. The exchange giant rolls out prediction markets and tokenized equities next week, blurring lines between crypto and traditional finance.

Prediction markets meet Wall Street

Starting December 17, traders can speculate on real-world events and own fractionalized stocks—all on-chain. No more waiting for market opens or dealing with archaic settlement times. The move pressures legacy brokers still charging $7.95 per trade in 2025.

Tokenization tsunami incoming

Coinbase's playbook? Eat traditional finance's lunch. By wrapping stocks as ERC-20 tokens, they're bypassing DTCC's 1970s-era infrastructure. Expect resistance from regulators who still think fax machines are cutting-edge tech.

Game theory says Wall Street will either adopt or attack. Given their track record, we're taking bets on 'attack'—the prediction markets are already live.

Coinbase is set to make a major move in the crypto space by launching prediction markets and its own tokenized equities on December 17. The new offerings bring the exchange closer to its goal of becoming an all-in-one digital asset “everything app.” This expansion comes amid rising competition and growing global interest in tokenized financial assets.

Coinbase Aims for Full Vertical Integration

One of Coinbase’s most significant changes is its shift to issuing tokenized stocks directly, rather than relying on external partners. This gives the company more control over product design, compliance, and settlement, an important advantage as global regulators increase scrutiny of tokenized securities.

Rumors about Coinbase’s expansion have circulated for weeks after leaked screenshots showed prediction tools and tokenized equity sections inside the Coinbase app. The company has now confirmed that full details will be revealed through a livestream on December 17.

By combining prediction markets, tokenized securities, and crypto trading in one platform, Coinbase is signaling its ambition to build a complete digital asset ecosystem functioning like a next-generation brokerage, derivatives venue, and blockchain hub.

Exchanges Race to Lead the Tokenization Boom

Tokenization has quickly become the new battleground for competition. Robinhood and Kraken already offer tokenized U.S. stocks in select regions, while global trading of tokenized equities has jumped 32% in the past month, reaching $1.45 billion in transfer volume, according to rwa.xyz data.

As more traditional assets such as stocks, treasuries, and commodities MOVE onto blockchains, major exchanges are racing to secure early dominance. Coinbase’s push is both a strategic defense and an attempt to capture market share as tokenization accelerates worldwide.

Prediction Markets Are Becoming a Core Financial Product

Prediction markets are also seeing strong growth, with users trading on outcomes related to elections, inflation, sports events, and global affairs. Gemini recently received CFTC approval to launch its Gemini Titan prediction platform in the U.S., Robinhood now supports Kalshi’s event contracts, and Crypto.com is expanding its presence in the sector through partnerships. Major trading firms, including Susquehanna, are also investing heavily in event-driven derivatives infrastructure.

Coinbase’s entry into prediction markets signals that they are becoming a mainstream financial instrument rather than a niche product.

Major Firms Are Competing to Build Full-Stack Crypto Ecosystems

Analyst Kartik Swaminathan notes that Coinbase’s upcoming rollout is part of a broader trend toward full vertical integration, where major companies control everything from wallets and trading platforms to layer-2 networks and real-world asset (RWA) issuance.

He highlights that Robinhood, Kraken, Stripe, and Coinbase now operate increasingly complex financial Stacks each positioning RWAs as the central pillar of their long-term strategy. Meanwhile, projects such as Ondo, Shift, and xStocks are expanding on BNB Chain, raising fresh questions about Binance’s future role in the tokenization race.

According to the analyst, the industry is heading toward a major competitive showdown, with every major platform pushing to dominate the full digital asset stack—where tokenized assets will play a defining role.