Financial and Business News

Coinbase Enters Prediction Markets as the Amazonification of Financial Platforms Gathers Pace

Thursday, 18/12/2025 | 09:44 GMT by Tanya Chepkova
  • Prediction markets are emerging as a core product in the broader industry shift toward one-stop-shop financial solutions.
  • Demand from younger investors is pushing platforms to move beyond single-asset models and rethink how retail trading products are bundled.
Coinbase (shutterstock)
Coinbase, Source: Shutterstock

Coinbase is entering the prediction markets business through a partnership with specialist exchange Kalshi. The move marks another step away from a crypto-only model toward a broader, multi-asset ecosystem, reflecting a wider industry shift toward all-in-one financial platforms.

Platforms built around a single asset class are evolving into multi-asset environments designed to increase engagement and capture a larger share of users’ trading activity. Prediction markets have emerged as one of the latest areas of expansion in this race.

From Single-Asset Platforms to Multi-Asset Ecosystems

Coinbase’s strategy mirrors changes already visible across retail trading. Recent research by Coinbase and Ipsos shows that younger investors are allocating a growing share of their portfolios to non-traditional instruments, including crypto, derivatives, and event-based products.

Against this backdrop, prediction markets reflect changing investor demand rather than a niche experiment. They align with the preferences of a more self-directed retail audience seeking alternative exposure and continuous market access.

“The everything exchange is our vision where users will be able to trade every asset, 24/7, from anywhere in the world on one trusted platform that starts with crypto,” said Max Branzburg, Coinbase’s vice president of product.

Prediction Markets Move Into the Mainstream

Coinbase is not alone in targeting this segment. Robinhood has already built a fast-growing prediction markets business through its partnership with Kalshi. Gemini, meanwhile, has taken a more formal route, securing approval from the Commodity Futures Trading Commission to operate prediction markets under a designated contract market licence.

These developments point to growing adoption of event-based contracts across retail platforms, supported by rising investor demand. Kalshi has raised $1 billion at an $11 billion valuation, while rival Polymarket has entered a strategic partnership with Intercontinental Exchange, underscoring expectations that the sector can scale.

The push toward “everything stores” reflects a structural shift in how platforms compete for relevance in an increasingly diversified retail market. Just as Amazon expanded from a single product category into a marketplace for almost everything, financial platforms are moving toward one-stop destinations for trading across asset classes, with prediction markets forming an important part of that strategy.

Coinbase is entering the prediction markets business through a partnership with specialist exchange Kalshi. The move marks another step away from a crypto-only model toward a broader, multi-asset ecosystem, reflecting a wider industry shift toward all-in-one financial platforms.

Platforms built around a single asset class are evolving into multi-asset environments designed to increase engagement and capture a larger share of users’ trading activity. Prediction markets have emerged as one of the latest areas of expansion in this race.

From Single-Asset Platforms to Multi-Asset Ecosystems

Coinbase’s strategy mirrors changes already visible across retail trading. Recent research by Coinbase and Ipsos shows that younger investors are allocating a growing share of their portfolios to non-traditional instruments, including crypto, derivatives, and event-based products.

Against this backdrop, prediction markets reflect changing investor demand rather than a niche experiment. They align with the preferences of a more self-directed retail audience seeking alternative exposure and continuous market access.

“The everything exchange is our vision where users will be able to trade every asset, 24/7, from anywhere in the world on one trusted platform that starts with crypto,” said Max Branzburg, Coinbase’s vice president of product.

Prediction Markets Move Into the Mainstream

Coinbase is not alone in targeting this segment. Robinhood has already built a fast-growing prediction markets business through its partnership with Kalshi. Gemini, meanwhile, has taken a more formal route, securing approval from the Commodity Futures Trading Commission to operate prediction markets under a designated contract market licence.

These developments point to growing adoption of event-based contracts across retail platforms, supported by rising investor demand. Kalshi has raised $1 billion at an $11 billion valuation, while rival Polymarket has entered a strategic partnership with Intercontinental Exchange, underscoring expectations that the sector can scale.

The push toward “everything stores” reflects a structural shift in how platforms compete for relevance in an increasingly diversified retail market. Just as Amazon expanded from a single product category into a marketplace for almost everything, financial platforms are moving toward one-stop destinations for trading across asset classes, with prediction markets forming an important part of that strategy.

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prediction markets
coinbase
About the Author: Tanya Chepkova
Tanya Chepkova
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