Coinbase Set to Launch Prediction Markets and Tokenized Stocks on December 17
Coinbase, the largest cryptocurrency platform in the United States, is reportedly set to announce the launch of two major new product lines—prediction markets and tokenized stocks—at a showcase event scheduled for Tuesday, December 17, 2025. This move signifies a significant expansion beyond traditional crypto spot trading, positioning Coinbase as an “everything app” for digital finance and intensifying competition with rivals who are also diversifying their offerings.
The Race for Prediction Markets Heats Up
The introduction of prediction markets is a direct competitive response to other major financial players who have recently entered the space. Just days ago, its competitor, Gemini, announced it had received a Designated Contract Market (DCM) license from the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), a critical regulatory step enabling it to launch regulated prediction markets. Coinbase has been a vocal supporter of the prediction market ecosystem and is a founding member of the Coalition for Prediction Markets (CPM), a new trade group advocating for federal oversight.
Coinbase’s product is expected to offer “event contracts” allowing users to speculate on the outcomes of sports, elections, economic trends, and other news-driven events. While the exact regulatory pathway for Coinbase’s prediction market products has not been explicitly confirmed, the move underscores the growing demand for these alternative financial tools, which have shown monthly transfer volumes rising by over 32% across the market recently. The platform’s leadership has previously hinted at such a move, with circulating screenshots on social media fueling speculation for weeks about the upcoming functionality.
Tokenized Stocks: In-House Infrastructure
Perhaps the most significant aspect of the forthcoming launch is the platform’s plan to offer tokenized stocks. Unlike competitors that often rely on external partners or third-party platforms to issue tokenized representations of traditional equity securities, reports suggest that Coinbase intends to issue these digital stocks entirely in-house. This strategic choice gives Coinbase greater control over the product’s distribution, compliance, and underlying market functionality.
The tokenized real-world assets (RWAs) sector is one of the quickest-growing niches in digital finance, with monthly transfer volumes of blockchain-linked stocks recently reaching $1.45 billion. By directly tokenizing U.S. stocks, Coinbase aims to unlock global liquidity and allow for 24/7 trading of conventional assets on a blockchain rails, potentially attracting a massive audience looking for more streamlined and efficient access to these assets. Executives have declined to provide specific details ahead of the launch but have encouraged the public to “Tune in to our Dec. 17 livestream to view the new products we’re launching,” confirming that a major product roll-out is imminent.
