The Pomp Podcast
Coinbase Exec: Institutions Are Loading Up on Bitcoin | Brett Tejpaul
- Coinbase's institutional business has grown significantly by first perfecting crypto native products (custody, trading, financing) before expanding into tokenized securities and on-chain infrastructure.
- Institutional demand for Bitcoin serves as a gateway asset, with clients progressively moving into Ethereum, altcoins, and derivative products like options and perpetuals.
- Tokenization of traditional assets (stocks, bonds, credit funds, CLOs) is being driven by issuers seeking new distribution channels and reaching younger, crypto-native investors.
- The Genius Act and recent regulatory clarity from Washington have become the single largest catalyst for institutional adoption, causing major financial firms to urgently assess crypto's disruptive potential.
- Digital asset treasuries (DATs) have grown to approximately 260 companies, representing roughly $15 billion in new capital flowing into the crypto ecosystem, with some modeling themselves as Bitcoin or token holders similar to Berkshire Hathaway.
- On-chain economy adoption is beginning with retail but increasingly attracting institutions, particularly through Coinbase Base; traditional finance firms still need centralized entry points before moving to decentralized infrastructure.