Inside Coinbase’s blueprint to become the Operating System for Global Finance ⚙️💸; Monzo’s biggest week overshadowed by boardroom battle over leadership and IPO strategy 🏦⚔️
FinTech is Eating the World, 18 December
Hey Everyone,
Good morning & happy Thursday! Today’s issue is insanely interesting as we’re going to dive deep into Coinbase’s blueprint to become the Operating System for Global Finance (unpacking their System Update 2025 event, key new products/features and why they matter + bonus deep dive into Coinbase’s latest financials & their pitch deck teardown that started it all inside), and Monzo’s biggest week that’s overshadowed by a boardroom battle over leadership and IPO strategy (what’s happening, why it matters and what to expect next + bonus deep dive into Monzo’s biggest competitor Revolut inside). So let’s just jump straight into the good stuff 🌶️
Inside Coinbase’s blueprint to become the Operating System for Global Finance ⚙️💸
The crypto exchange’s biggest event wasn’t about crypto at all.
The BIG News 🗞️ Digital asset pioneer Coinbase COIN 0.00%↑ made arguably its most ambitious statement yet yesterday, when the digital exchange unveiled a sweeping product suite designed to transform it into a comprehensive & all-encompassing financial platform rivaling traditional brokerages, neobanks, & payment networks. All at once 😳
At the System Update 2025 event, CEO Brian Armstrong presented 8 major initiatives that collectively signal the company’s formal departure from its identity as a crypto-only exchange.
The centerpiece announcements include commission-free stock and ETF trading with 24-hour, 5-day-a-week availability, a prediction markets integration through Kalshi, and an AI-powered financial advisor capable of generating personalized portfolio recommendations across multiple asset classes, among other things.
Let’s take a closer look at each of them, understand why they matter, what the value add is, and what’s next for Coinbase (& why you might need to change your views).
