Coinbase Experiences Brisk User Growth Ahead of IPO

The Briefing

  • Coinbase is the largest cryptocurrency exchange in the U.S.
  • The company added 3.3 million transacting users in Q1 2021 – a 117% increase
  • $133 billion in assets were added to the platform, totalling $223 billion in Q1 2021

Coinbase Experiences Brisk User Growth Ahead of IPO

A week before its initial public offering (IPO), Coinbase reported significant user growth for the first quarter of 2021.

In a report released on April 6, the cryptocurrency exchange claimed to have an estimated 56 million verified customers in Q1 2021—that’s an additional 13 million since Q4 2020.

What is Coinbase?

Launched in 2012, Coinbase is the largest consumer-facing cryptocurrency exchange in America.

The company offers a variety of products, such as an advanced trading platform, crypto wallets for retail investors, savings accounts for institutions, and even its own stablecoin that’s backed by the U.S. dollar.

A Surge in Monthly Users and Assets

In Q1 2021, Coinbase saw a 117% increase in transacting users compared to Q4 2020, from 2.8 million to 6.1 million. That’s the highest jump in users in the last three years:

Quarter Monthly Transacting Users % Change
Q1 2018 2,700,000
Q2 2018 1,200,000 -55.5%
Q3 2018 920,000 -23.3%
Q4 2018 850,000 -7.6%
Q1 2019 800,000 -5.9%
Q2 2019 1,300,000 62.5%
Q3 2019 1,200,000 -7.7%
Q4 2019 1,000,000 -16.7%
Q1 2020 1,300,000 30.0%
Q2 2020 1,500,000 15.4%
Q3 2020 2,100,000 40.0%
Q4 2020 2,800,000 33.3%
Q1 2021 6,100,000 117.9%

In addition to its growing user base, the company also reported a 147.8% uptick in assets on the platform in the last quarter, from $90 billion to $223 billion.

Quarter Assets Held on Coinbase % Change
Q1 2018 $13 billion
Q2 2018 12.9 billion -0.8%
Q3 2018 11 billion -14.7%
Q4 2018 $7 billion -36.4%
Q1 2019 $8 billion 14.3%
Q2 2019 $21 billion 162.5%
Q3 2019 $17 billion -19.0%
Q4 2019 $17 billion
Q1 2020 $17 billion
Q2 2020 $26 billion 52.9%
Q3 2020 $36 billion 38.5%
Q4 2020 $90 billion 150.0%
Q1 2021 $223 billion 147.8%

Industry experts believe this strong start to the year is a good indicator of the company’s future profit potential.

For instance, the investment bank DA Davidson raised Coinbase’s share price target from $195 to $440 after seeing the company’s Q1 results.

>> Liked this? Take a deeper dive into institutional trading volume on Coinbase.

Where does this data come from?

Source: Company filings via The Block

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