Coinbase launches new wallet with social, payment tools

Coinbase has launched the Base App, replacing its previous wallet with a platform that integrates social networking, mini-apps, trading, and USDC payments.

The app is part of Coinbase’s Ethereum Layer 2 Base ecosystem.

The Base ecosystem includes Base Chain (an Ethereum Layer 2), Base Build (a toolkit for developers), and the Base App, now in beta for waitlisted users as of July 16, 2025.

The Base App features a social feed powered by the Farcaster protocol, allowing creators to tokenize posts and earn from tips or sales.

Users can perform token swaps, view real-time trades, and access mini-apps like games and prediction markets.

It also includes encrypted messaging, NFC-based USDC payments, and a Base Account smart wallet.

🔗 Source: The Block

🧠 Food for thought

1️⃣ Super app race intensifies in western markets with crypto-native entrant

Coinbase’s Base App represents an ambitious attempt to create an American super app in the mold of Asian giants like WeChat and Alipay, which combine dozens of services in one platform.

While Asian super apps have successfully integrated messaging, payments, shopping, and services into single platforms used by billions, Western attempts have struggled to achieve similar scale or adoption1.

The strategy places Coinbase in competition not just with crypto companies, but with tech giants like Meta, which has attempted to build payment capabilities into its social networks, and Block (formerly Square), which has expanded Cash App beyond payments into investing and commerce.

By merging social, payments, and mini-apps on a blockchain infrastructure, Coinbase is taking a distinctly crypto-native approach to the super app concept that differentiates it from previous Western attempts, which typically built on traditional financial systems.

The timing aligns with increasing regulatory clarity for crypto in the U.S., potentially creating an environment where Coinbase can execute on this vision with fewer regulatory obstacles than it would have faced in previous years1.

2️⃣ Stablecoin adoption drives strategic shift beyond trading fees

Coinbase’s introduction of Base Pay and USDC payment features reveals a strategic pivot from primarily generating revenue through trading fees to building an ecosystem around stablecoin usage and circulation.