(Bloomberg) The debut of US spot-Bitcoin ETFs thrusts Coinbase Global Inc. into the center of crypto’s biggest mainstream moment to date. Yet what may seem like an enviable position also creates a welter of risks for the company and its partners. Most Read from BloombergUS Economy Set for Another Cash Boost If Congress Backs Tax DealApple to Shutter 121-Person San Diego AI Team in ReorganizationBoeing’s Legacy Vanished Into Thin Air. Saving It Will Take YearsStocks Slip as Officials Push Back
The nearly five-hour-long hearing could help further legitimize crypto, though it also revealed the difficulties federal officials face in regulating the industry.
The massive valuation, which dwarfs more traditional financial companies including Intercontinental Exchange Group Inc. and Nasdaq Inc. itself, is a landmark moment for the crypto industry and for Coinbase, which was started almost a decade ago when few people had even heard of Bitcoin, and many exchanges were run by amateurs from their garages and homes.
Coinbase shares closed at $328.28, down 14% from the $381 opening price on Nasdaq after earlier climbing as high as $429.54. At the closing price, the company’s valuation on a fully diluted basis is about $86 billion.
Bitcoin, which along with Ethereum made up 56% of Coinbase’s 2020 trading revenue, dipped below $62,000 after earlier hitting a record price.