Coinbase Doubles Down: CEO Says Crypto Will Eat Most of Financial Services

Crypto is set to devour traditional finance as Coinbase sharpens its focus on decentralized systems, driving a seismic shift in how global financial services are built.

Armstrong Says Crypto Will Eat Finance—Coinbase’s Strategy Just Got Clearer

Brian Armstrong, chief executive officer of crypto exchange Coinbase (Nasdaq: COIN), reinforced the company’s long-term vision for the industry on May 2, stating on social media platform X:

Our thesis: crypto is going to eat most of financial services, and Coinbase is 100% focused on crypto.

His remarks came as Coinbase rolled out a series of updates across its lending services, particularly involving USDC loans and bitcoin-backed credit products.

Max Branzburg, head of consumer products at Coinbase, revealed on X that adoption of USDC-based loans through the decentralized lending protocol Morpho Labs is accelerating. He said loan volume rose sharply to $120 million in May, up from $45 million in April, $14 million in March, $2 million in February, and none in January. Branzburg noted that only $265 million in bitcoin is currently being used as collateral, while over 100 times more remains idle, indicating what he sees as substantial untapped potential. Coinbase announced on April 30 that its bitcoin-backed loan service is now fully available to all U.S. users except those in New York.

Armstrong weighed in on the recent milestones and echoed Branzburg’s optimism about the trajectory of crypto lending. In response to the loan update, Armstrong stated:

Credit markets are moving onchain. We eventually want to power small business loans, home loans, car loans, uncollateralized loans, etc. Many people in the world don’t have access to credit. We can make it a more efficient (and global) market onchain.

While the rapid expansion of crypto-backed lending services underscores a broader trend toward decentralized finance, some critics argue that these platforms still face regulatory uncertainty and systemic risk. However, proponents assert that the onchain model offers a transformative path forward, potentially democratizing access to credit on a global scale.