Coinbase launched a new app called Base on Wednesday in Los Angeles, rebranding its Coinbase Wallet into an “everything app” for the on-chain economy.
The app combines social features, AI tools, and monetization, allowing users to earn from posts, messages, trade, and play games—all in one place.
Base aims to create a more social, composable, and creator-friendly Web3 experience for both early adopters and mainstream users.
Coinbase unveiled its new mobile app, Base—a rebrand and expansion of the company’s Coinbase Wallet during a standing-room-only event in Los Angeles on Wednesday.
The crypto faithful packed the venue to witness the reveal of the app, which had gone live earlier that day.
Billed as an “everything app” for the on-chain economy, Base aims to go beyond simple transactions, giving users the tools to create, earn, message, game, and interact with AI, all within a single platform.
“We’re going from a single-player tool to a network,” John Granata, Coinbase Director of Product, told Decrypt after the launch. “It’s very social forward—because that’s how people trade, send payments, find friends, and build apps together.”
Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong. Image: Jason Nelson/Decrypt
Among those excited for the launch was serial entrepreneur and Vee Friends creator Gary Vaynerchuk, who spoke at the event.
“I’ve been waiting nearly a decade for a decentralized social network. I knew it was the next move,” Vaynerchuk told Decrypt. “Whether Coinbase pulls it off or not, it’s coming. The early previews and the nuances they delivered were really interesting. I enjoyed it.”
Beyond social, financial, and entertainment features, the Base app integrates creator-focused monetization, allowing each post—whether text, image, or video—to become an on-chain asset.
“For many users who’ve never earned from their media before, Base could be the first place they do,” Granata said. “If your post goes viral, you can earn a lot more due to the ways that you can monetize on the platform.”
Image: Jason Nelson/Decrypt
Filmmaker Roman Coppola, co-founder of the film studio Decentralized Pictures, one of the early developers on Base, said the shift toward decentralization is especially meaningful for artists.
“To be included as one of the key developers in what could be a game-changing ecosystem is a big honor,” Coppola told Decrypt. “The broader theme here is creators having more control and earning financial rewards from their work. The decentralized dream is coming true—and we’re proud to represent film alongside gaming and other creative categories.”
End-to-end encrypted chat with wallet integration is another standout feature. Users can send crypto or execute trades directly within a group chat, often assisted by AI agents, which can handle transactions with a simple message.
During a keynote speech at the event, Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong positioned the launch within the company’s broader mission.
“Coinbase was founded 13 years ago, and our mission is to increase economic freedom in the world,” he said. “We think crypto is the most important technology to help go do that.”
Armstrong described the Base app as part of a shift away from traditional financial services.
“We always thought that once we had the bridge from fiat to crypto, we needed to make a new kind of app that would actually allow permissionless access for everyone all over the world,” he said.
Armstrong called the launch of the Base app the company’s “Netscape” moment, referring to the early web browser that brought the internet to a mass audience.
“We fixed on-ramping with Coinbase,” he said. “Base provided fast, cheap transactions around the world. I think we’re at this moment as an industry—it took innovation across companies, foundations, groups, and individuals.”
“We’ve got these Lego pieces,” he added. “How do we assemble them into an app that creates the onchain economy for a billion people—and makes it usable for regular people who don’t even know anything about crypto? I think we’re right on the cusp of doing that.”
Alongside messaging, AI also curates user feeds and powers creator tools such as smart video editing and annotation.
“2025 is the year of AI agents,” he said. “And crypto is the perfect tool for them.”
Underpinning the Base app is a set of open protocols—including Farcaster for social, XMTP for messaging, and Zora for monetization—designed to promote transparency and composability.
“Because we build on top of base, on top of open protocols, on chain, we don’t have to ask you to trust us,” Granata said. “The trust is in the network. The trust is in the protocol.”
To skeptics who question why they should leave other apps for a product from Coinbase, Granata had a simple message: Base is for everyone.
“Some people are early adopters. Others need time,” he said. “Our app is for everyone in that sense, and we’re trying to build it in that way.”
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