Coinbase on Wednesday launched a new all-in-one consumer app called the “Base App” — an ambitious bid to recreate the success of China’s super apps like WeChat and Alipay, and a major departure from the company’s traditional focus on crypto trading.
The app, which replaces the Coinbase Wallet, is designed as a single portal for trading, payments, messaging, identity management, and even social content — all running on the company’s own public blockchain network, Base. Built on Ethereum, Base offers fast, ultra-low-cost transactions and is now being positioned as a key pillar in Coinbase’s effort to pull in users far beyond its traditional crypto base.
Coinbase says the app is designed not just for crypto traders, but for mainstream users — shoppers, content creators, small businesses — who may not be deeply engaged in the crypto economy but still need tools for payments, identity, and social interaction. The company’s broader vision is to build what it calls an “everything app” — a single destination to buy, sell, send, and create on-chain content, interact with decentralized apps (dapps), and connect with communities.
Super App Race in the West
Coinbase’s move pushes it deeper into a race that tech giants like Meta and X have also been trying to crack. While China has long relied on all-in-one apps like WeChat and Alipay to handle payments, communication, social media, and services in one seamless interface, no Western company has yet managed to pull off the same feat. Coinbase’s bet is that by building directly on blockchain, it can offer a new kind of infrastructure that sidesteps traditional app ecosystems, potentially giving users more control over their data and transactions.
The Base App is also Coinbase’s response to a deeper structural problem: its overreliance on trading fees, a revenue stream that has proven volatile amid crypto market downturns. The new app, built around real-world utility, is aimed at diversifying that revenue and drawing users who may never have bought crypto before.
Key Features: Identity, Payments, Creator Economy
As part of the rollout, Coinbase introduced Base Account, a streamlined blockchain-based identity and verification system, and Base Pay, a one-click express checkout system for USDC, the stablecoin issued by Circle. Base Pay is already live on tens of thousands of Shopify stores and will roll out to all merchants by year-end. A tap-to-pay version is also expected for physical retail stores.
Shopify’s product head, Alex Danco, confirmed at the launch event that U.S. users paying with USDC will get 1% cashback later this year. The move strengthens Shopify and Coinbase’s growing partnership, which has expanded as the Trump administration’s pro-crypto policies take effect, fueling a fresh wave of blockchain adoption across fintech and retail.
Coinbase also aims to reshape the creator economy by integrating direct monetization features. Users will be able to send and receive USDC within chat interfaces — with fees waived to encourage adoption — and creators will be rewarded for engaging content directly within the app. Coinbase has committed funding toward creator rewards to kickstart this model, though the company says this will not generate immediate revenue.
The app’s social layer will also support messaging and community functions, creating a decentralized alternative to platforms like Instagram and Twitter. Coinbase is positioning this feature as a major opportunity for content creators frustrated by platform algorithms and revenue-sharing restrictions on traditional apps.
Base Network Grows, Corporate Adoption Expands
Until now, Base has been popular mainly with developers and crypto-native builders. But Coinbase hopes this new app will mark a turning point in its mainstream adoption. One of the biggest recent endorsements came from JPMorgan, which announced in June that it would launch a blockchain-based “deposit token” on Base — a move that signaled growing institutional interest.
Base’s promise of lightning-fast transactions — often under a second and costing less than a cent — gives Coinbase an edge in delivering mass-market fintech services where cost and speed are critical. Those features could make it an appealing alternative to traditional payment rails, especially for merchants seeking lower fees.
The timing of the Base App launch also coincides with a broader regulatory shift in the United States. With Trump back in the White House and Congress poised to pass new crypto legislation, Coinbase and other firms are racing to push out new products under a more favorable policy environment.
Last month, Coinbase partnered with American Express to launch its first credit card, while Shopify integrated USDC-powered payments via both Coinbase and Stripe. The new developments are part of what Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong has described as a “stretch goal” to make USDC the most used stablecoin globally, challenging Tether’s USDT, which still holds the top spot.
Armstrong has also laid out a bold five-to-10-year vision to turn Coinbase into “the number one financial services app in the world.” The Base App appears to be the centerpiece of that strategy, bringing together all of Coinbase’s efforts — payments, DeFi, identity, commerce, and content — into one user-focused platform.
While it may take time for Coinbase to see meaningful revenue from the new app, the company is betting big that building the future of finance will depend on creating everyday use cases beyond crypto speculation. The Base App, it believes, is that bridge.
