Coinbase’s Layer 2 shifts focus to tokenizing every major asset class and scaling stablecoin payments.
Coinbase’s Ethereum Layer 2 blockchain Base published its 2026 mission, vision, and strategy on Tuesday, narrowing its focus to three pillars: building global markets for tokenized assets, scaling stablecoin payments, and positioning the chain as the default home for onchain builders, including AI agents.
The roadmap consolidates last year’s five-pillar playbook around a thesis that the current phase of crypto is fundamentally about upgrading the financial system into a global, 24/7 onchain economy.
Base touted significant 2025 traction to justify the pivot: $17 trillion in stablecoin volume across 26 local currencies and 17 countries, the top onchain venue for BTC spot trading, the Base App live in 140+ countries, and 50+ teams funded through Base Batches. The chain overtook Ethereum and BNB Chain in weekly DEX volume earlier this year and currently holds $4 billion in TVL, making it the largest Layer 2 network.
Every Asset, Every Market
The first pillar targets tokenization of all major asset classes on Base, from equities and commodities to predictions and perpetuals, with “purpose-built market infrastructure at the chain level,” new token standards, and sub-second settlement at sub-cent cost.
The push aligns with a broader industry wave. Tokenized RWAs surged 260% in 2025 to over $23 billion, the DTCC received SEC clearance for a three-year pilot to tokenize Russell 1000 stocks and Treasury bonds, and industry forecasts suggest RWAs could reach $50 billion by year-end.
Base wants the Base App — formerly Coinbase Wallet, rebranded as an “everything app” — to serve as the primary interface for trading millions of tokenized assets.
Stablecoin Payments
The second pillar doubles down on stablecoins as the “money layer of the internet,” with chain-level upgrades including privacy primitives, native account abstraction, stablecoin gas payments, and protocol-level support for memos and rewards. Base aims to host stablecoins for every major currency with deep liquidity for trading, borrowing, and lending.
The ambition comes as B2B stablecoin payments grew over 730% year-over-year in 2025 and total supply surpassed $308 billion. Visa and Bridge recently announced stablecoin-linked cards across 100+ countries, and Meta is reportedly exploring a stablecoin revival with Stripe.
Agents as First-Class Builders
The most forward-looking piece is Base’s plan to build “agent-native” infrastructure — smart accounts, documentation, and CLI+MCP access designed to let AI agents transact using standards like x402.
The race to become the default payment layer for AI agents has intensified. Coinbase’s x402 recently expanded to support any ERC-20 token, competing with Stripe and Tempo’s Machine Payments Protocol, while MoonPay released the Open Wallet Standard backed by PayPal, Circle, Base, and others.
The strategy also outlines ERC-8021 builder codes, analytics dashboards, and growth programs to measure and incentivize ecosystem contributions.
This article was written with the assistance of AI workflows. All our stories are curated, edited and fact-checked by a human.
