Coinbase organisation
Overview
Coinbase is a cryptocurrency exchange founded in June 2012 by Brian Armstrong, formerly of Airbnb, and Fred Ehrsam, a former Goldman Sachs trader, with early backing from Y Combinator. It lets retail and institutional customers buy, sell, store and trade crypto assets and is the largest US-based exchange, reporting more than 100 million customers. Coinbase went public on 14 April 2021 through a direct listing on Nasdaq under the ticker COIN, with a $250 reference price and a first-day close of $328.28. It obtained a New York BitLicense in 2017 and faced an SEC enforcement action over its staking and exchange activities filed in 2023, which the SEC dismissed in 2025.
Within the DeFi Intel graph, Coinbase connects to 4 tracked entities, most strongly to Morpho Blue, Morpho Blue, EU Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation.
Relations
Top connections in the DeFi Intel knowledge graph (confidence-weighted, 4 of 4 total).
| Relation | Connected entity | Confidence |
|---|---|---|
partnered_with | Morpho Blue | 95% |
strategic_partner | Morpho Blue | 95% |
regulated_by | EU Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation | 95% |
milestone | Eu Mica Licensing Wave | 95% |
Frequently asked questions
When and how did Coinbase go public?
Coinbase listed on Nasdaq on 14 April 2021 via a direct listing under the ticker COIN, with a $250 reference price; shares closed their first day at $328.28.
Who founded Coinbase?
Brian Armstrong, previously at Airbnb, and Fred Ehrsam, a former Goldman Sachs trader, founded the company in June 2012 with support from Y Combinator.
What happened with the SEC case against Coinbase?
The SEC filed an enforcement action in 2023 concerning Coinbase's staking and exchange activities, and dismissed the lawsuit in 2025.
Sources
Facts on this page were verified against the following sources.