 
 
Crypto exchange Coinbase highlighted prominent sectors it plans to invest in next year. This follows a surge in retail adoption and institutional capital into stablecoins, infrastructure, and Artificial Intelligence (AI).
Coinbase Backs Nine Market Sectors
The venture capitalists’ arm of Coinbase is targeting nine areas for fresh investment throughout 2026. In a recent blog post, the exchange explains the need to answer the “what to build next” questions as more protocols begin to emerge.
Coinbase Ventures is keen on tokenization and RWA, specialized exchanges, trading terminals, decentralized finance (DeFi) expansion, proof of humanity, AI and robotics, etc. This will expand adoption in these areas, reinforcing its bullish stance on the market’s future.
This year, stablecoin growth attracted Coinbase, with analysts pointing to how its infrastructure reshaped payments. Speed and cross-border settlements were also at the center of mainstream adoption. A cross-section of investors is seeking new exposure in trading assets.
Coinbase Ventures plans massive RWA scale to onboard exotic assets on-chain and to improve the trader base with cryptocurrencies. Tokenization highlights the recent traditional influx to the sector that has been avoided for more than a decade.
 
“With renewed interest in on-chain real-world assets (RWAs), investors are seeking new forms of exposure, and perpetuals, crypto’s most proven trading product, offer a structurally faster and more flexible path than tokenization. Enabled by recent improvements in perpetual DEX infrastructure, RWA perpetuals create synthetic exposure to off-chain assets through perpetual futures contracts.”
Traditional investment poured into tokenization in recent months with fresh global partnerships. Several governments, including the United States, are currently developing regulatory frameworks, while others have advanced to pilot stage.
Aside from tokenization, artificial intelligence is a top priority for both developers and executives. Markets are keen on integrating the tools needed for expansion. Some commentators argue that the right AI tools would make the ecosystem safer and prevent rampant hacks.
Coinbase Ventures has backed 618 investments across several fields since 2018. YZi Labs, formerly Binance Labs, rivals the company. Both firms have supported startups, providing capital to scale operations.
These investments underscore Coinbase’s bullish market stance. The exchange remained vocal on positive crypto rules, fair policies, and global adoption. Recently, CEO Brian Armstrong projected Bitcoin price to hit $1 million by 2030. This bull target has become common for most analysts, citing increased government participation.
Source: https://zycrypto.com/coinbase-targets-rwa-defi-ai-as-key-investment-areas-for-2026/