In a press announcement, Coinbase disclosed its intention to acquire The Clearing Company, a prediction market startup.
The announcement follows Coinbase’s recent move to grant users access to trading of non-crypto assets, including stocks, futures contracts, and outcome-based event contracts through a partnership with Kalshi, a U.S.-regulated prediction market platform.
The acquisition is expected to officially close and become operational in January 2026.
Becoming The Everything Exchange
Coinbase revealed that the acquisition was part of its broader plan to accelerate the company’s ambitions to become ‘the everything exchange,’ where users can trade multiple asset classes from one interface.
Though Coinbase has established itself as one of the most reputable cryptocurrency exchanges globally, increasing competition among exchanges and other crypto service providers has prompted the company to diversify beyond crypto assets alone.
The Clearing company acquisition deal marks Coinbase’s tenth deal just in 2025; one of the earlier notable deals includes a $2.9 billion agreement to buy derivatives exchange Deribit in May. The Clearing company also recently secured $15 million in seed funding led by Union Capital in August in which Coinbase was one of the participants
According to Coinbase, expanding into prediction markets will provide access to regulated markets and event contract expertise, laying a foundation for future product expansions and initiatives.
We have an opportunity to enable millions of customers around the world to seamlessly participate in prediction markets right alongside their cash, crypto, equities, and derivatives portfolios.
The acquisition also brings in an experienced team to improve Coinbase’s newly launched prediction market platform. This includes Toni Gemayel, founder of The Clearing Company, who brings extensive experience in the sector and previously served as head of marketing at Kalshi, one of the leading U.S.-regulated prediction market platforms.
Conclusion
Coinbase’s expansion into prediction markets places it in direct competition with other major crypto exchange platforms, including Kraken and Gemini, which have also begun exploring event-based trading.
Although the prediction market platform is still in its early stages, Coinbase’s regulatory experience and newly acquired specialized talent could position it as a significant player in the sector.
However, it remains uncertain whether Coinbase can effectively rival established platforms such as Polymarket and Kalshi, both of which have built strong reputations as trusted and regulated entities in the prediction markets ecosystem with support for on-chain activities.
Moreover, their sole focus on event-based trading may provide a competitive advantage over Coinbase, which is simultaneously exploring and managing various products. Thus, Coinbase’s vision of becoming an “everything exchange” remains to be seen.
