{"id":489991,"date":"2025-07-17T11:36:45","date_gmt":"2025-07-17T10:36:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cryptoslate.com\/?p=489991"},"modified":"2025-07-17T11:39:11","modified_gmt":"2025-07-17T10:39:11","slug":"coinbases-new-base-super-app-puts-trading-payments-social-and-ai-under-one-roof","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cryptoslate.com\/coinbases-new-base-super-app-puts-trading-payments-social-and-ai-under-one-roof\/","title":{"rendered":"Coinbase\u2019s new Base ‘super app’ puts trading, payments, social and AI under one roof"},"content":{"rendered":"

For years, crypto advocates have insisted that blockchains would one day power everything from messaging to micro\u2011payments. Coinbase now claims<\/a> that the future is arriving, inside a single icon on your phone.<\/p>\n

On 16\u202fJuly<\/strong>, the exchange quietly began rolling out \u201cBase App,\u201d<\/strong> a rebuilt version of its mobile wallet that mashes trading, payments, social media, and on\u2011device AI agents. The limited beta, open only to wait\u2011listed users for now, marks the boldest consumer pivot in Coinbase\u2019s 12\u2011year history and turns its in\u2011house layer\u20112 network, Base<\/strong>, into the backbone of the experience.<\/p>\n

\u201cEvery post in the app is a coin,\u201d the product blog teased, framing the redesign as a way for creators to mint and monetise content on the fly.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

From exchange fees to platform flywheels<\/h2>\n

Coinbase still earns the bulk of its revenue from trading spreads, a line item that regulators, rivals, and bear markets have all threatened to compress. CEO Brian\u202fArmstrong<\/strong> has therefore spent the past two years sketching a broader ambition: an American counterpart to China\u2019s WeChat, where money, chat, and e\u2011commerce co\u2011exist.<\/p>\n

At the State of Crypto Summit in June\u202f2023, Armstrong argued that a \u201csuper\u2011app\u201d anchored to open protocols, rather than Apple\u2019s or Google\u2019s walled gardens, could unlock radically lower fees and novel business models.<\/p>\n

The building blocks fell into place quickly. Coinbase launched<\/a> Base<\/strong> as an Ethereum roll\u2011up in 2023, cut average block times to 200\u202fms this spring with a \u201cFlashblocks\u201d upgrade, and now counts 32<\/strong>\u202fmillion<\/strong> active monthly users holding<\/a> $4\u202fbillion<\/strong> in bridged assets on the network.<\/p>\n

Inside the Base App<\/h2>\n

Open the new app, and the first screen is no longer an asset list but a TikTok\u2011style feed pulling from Farcaster<\/strong>, a decentralised social graph. Instead of hearts, each post is minted via Zora<\/strong>, meaning it can be tipped with USDC or flipped on secondary markets. The mechanism lets users \u201cown\u201d their timelines and gives Coinbase a tiny slice of every resale.<\/p>\n

A \u201cPay\u201d tab turns any NFC\u2011equipped smartphone into a contactless card reader. Senders pick an amount in USDC; receivers tap to collect, and there are no interchange fees or settlement lag. The move helps Coinbase sidestep the 1.5\u20133\u202f% toll banks and card networks levy on merchants.<\/p>\n

Traditional spot, perpetual, and staking live one tap away, but Base App also hosts third\u2011party \u201cmini\u2011apps\u201d ranging from games to merchant storefronts. Developers plug in via a Base SDK and share revenue with Coinbase.<\/p>\n

Most eye\u2011catching is \u201cBased Agent,\u201d<\/strong> an on\u2011device helper powered by AgentKit (Coinbase\u2019s fork of OpenAI\u2019s Agents SDK). The agent can draft transactions, monitor on\u2011chain yields, and even auto-reinvest rewards. Many predict that agents will end up performing the majority of blockchain transactions within the next five years.<\/p>\n

Why launch now? Follow the merchants<\/h2>\n

A super\u2011app lives or dies by daily utility. Two spring announcements address that chicken\u2011and\u2011egg problem:<\/p>\n