4 Surprising Insights From Coinbase’s Earnings, COIN Sees Bullish Surge

The foremost crypto exchange in the United States, Coinbase, released its earnings report on February 15th. As expected, there were major takeaways from the financial report, highlighting the crypto company’s performance in the fourth quarter of last year.

Coinbase maximalist Coinbase Duck noted in an X (formerly Twitter) post how the crypto exchange defied expectations in the fourth quarter of 2023. Coinbase recorded $170.6 billion in spot trading volume, exceeding the estimated $168.

Specifically, a considerable influx of retail investors accounted for 18% of the total spot trading volume against the estimated 16% that the crypto exchange was projected to record. The return of these retail investors is believed to have been partly due to the resurgence that Bitcoin and the broader crypto market experienced towards the end of the year. 

Meanwhile, consumer transaction revenue ($492.5 million) was way below the estimate of $570.9 million. However, Coinbase Duck noted that this wasn’t necessarily bad, as some investors started using advanced trading.

In a letter to its shareholders, the crypto exchange also revealed that some existing users traded significantly higher volumes, which could have necessitated the move to advanced trading. 

Coinbase also recorded a total operating expense of $838 million, which happened to be below the projected estimate of $878 million. Specifically, the crypto exchange did a great job in its transaction expenses, recording an expense of $126 million compared to the estimate of $163 million. 

However, the company’s sales and marketing expenses ($106 million) exceeded the estimate of $90 million. Coinbase revealed that this growth was “primarily driven by higher seasonal NBA spending, higher performance marketing spending due to strong market conditions, and increased USDC reward payouts due to growth in on-platform balances.”

Coinbase recorded a net income of $273 million, beating the estimate of $104 million. Interestingly, going by figures from its Shareholder letter, the fourth quarter of 2023 was the only one in the year in which the crypto exchange didn’t record a loss for its net income. Meanwhile, the company also recorded its largest net revenue during that period.

Coinbase suggested that the excitement around the Spot Bitcoin ETFs and the expectations of more favorable market conditions in 2024 had contributed to its success in Q4 of 2023. Coinbase is a primary custodian for most Bitcoin ETFs, including BlackRock’s iShares Bitcoin Trust (IBIT).

Meanwhile, the crypto exchange earned $1.13 per share, beating the forecast of $0.43. This is without the crypto exchange accounting for the FASB change, which Coinbase Duck revealed could bring its earnings per Share (EPS) to $2.1. 

Chart from Tradingview