Q32022 Shareholder Letter
Q32022 Shareholder Letter
Letter
Third Quarter 2022
Fellow shareholders,
Q3 was a mixed quarter for Coinbase. Transaction revenue was significantly impacted by stronger
macroeconomic and crypto market headwinds, as well as trading volume moving offshore.
Meanwhile, we saw strong growth in our subscription and services revenue, driven by our
participation in the USDC ecosystem and higher staking activity. While the macro headwinds are
beyond our control, we continue to focus on factors within our control: narrowing our product
focus to deliver amazing customer experiences and reducing our operating expenses.
Looking ahead, we could not be more excited about the industry leading partnerships - like those
we recently announced with BlackRock and Google - as well as the momentum and innovation we
see in our own product portfolio and across the industry more broadly.
Before diving into the chapters, let’s start with a summary of our Q3 results. Q3 results were
largely consistent with the outlook we provided in August. Q3 transaction revenue was $366
million, down 44% compared to Q2, driven by lower trading volume. Subscription and services
revenue increased 43% sequentially to $211 million, driven by higher interest income. Q3 net
revenue was $576 million, down 28% compared to Q2. Total operating expenses were $1.1 billion,
down 38% compared to Q2. Absent non-cash impairment charges incurred, total operating
expenses would have declined 22% sequentially in Q3. While revenues declined sequentially, net
loss and Adjusted EBITDA both improved sequentially to negative $545 million and negative $116
million, respectively.
Chapter 1
Headwinds continued to impact our transaction revenue which declined 44% Q/Q. While we
face three headwinds on our trading volume and associated transaction revenue, we are retaining
customers and growing assets through engagement with non-investing products. First: macro
conditions deteriorated in Q3, resulting in the daily average crypto market cap and volatility
declining 30% and 24% sequentially, respectively. This drove lower crypto trading volume and a
continued shift in our retail customer’s behavior from trading to “hodl’ing.” Second: trading
volume has been shifting away from the US, where our business is concentrated. For example,
global monthly crypto spot market volume declined 18% when comparing September 2022 to
January 2022, but US monthly volume declined over 50% over the same time period. We believe
that this volume shift is partially attributed to the perception of uncertainty that certain digital
asset issuers may have about the development of a regulatory framework addressing our
industry, whether by Congress or regulators. Third: as retail volume pulls back, competition heats
up for market makers and active traders who are price and leverage sensitive.
Chapter 2
Despite headwinds, there were bright spots: Subscription and services revenue grew 43% Q/Q.
Q3 subscription and services revenue grew 43% sequentially to $211 million (or would have grown
82% when holding crypto prices constant). The biggest contributor within subscription and
services – interest income – benefited from the rising interest rate environment.
Chapter 3
We are diligently focused on cost optimization and cash management – operating expense
declined 38% sequentially (or 22% absent the impact of non-cash impairment charges). In Q2,
we outlined a series of efforts aimed at streamlining our cost structure – including our June
headcount reduction, recalibrating future hiring plans, optimizing infrastructure and vendor
spend, and increased discipline in marketing spend. We were pleased to see these actions bear
fruit in Q3, as total operating expenses declined sequentially. We ended Q3 with $5.6 billion in
total $USD resources, in addition to $483 million in crypto assets, which we believe puts us in a
strong position to manage through the crypto winter.
Q3 2022 1
Chapter 4
We are seeing continued momentum in our product development and partnerships, supported
by ongoing crypto innovation and adoption. While price declines and lower trading volume
dominate the headlines, we are encouraged by user sentiment, the scaling of blockchains, our
growing partnerships, and institutional adoption that we saw throughout Q3. We see undeniable
traction in product development making crypto more accessible. Under the surface of a
challenging market, an innovation and adoption spring is coiling.
Chapter 5
2022 Outlook and 2023 Preview. For 2022, we remain cautiously optimistic that we will operate
within the $500 million Adjusted EBITDA loss guardrail that we previously communicated. This
assumes that crypto market capitalization and volatility do not deteriorate meaningfully below
October levels and that we do not see changes in customer behaviors. For 2023, we’re preparing
with a conservative bias and assuming that the current macroeconomic headwinds will persist
and possibly intensify.
Q3 Trading Volume Was Expectedly Lower Q/Q; Expense Reduction Efforts Went Well
Coinbase Q3 Outlook
Subscription and Services Revenue $147 million Modestly higher Q/Q $211 million
Technology and Development + General and $1.1 billion Approximately $1 $895 million,
Administrative Expenses
billion, including $400 including $373
including stock-based compensation million in stock-based million in stock-
compensation based
compensation
Q3 2022 2
Chapter 1 Q3 was another tough quarter, and while we face three headwinds, we are retaining our core
retail and institutional customers and assets through engagement with non-investing products.
Headwinds
continued to impact First, let’s start with macro. A variety of macroeconomic factors – consumer prices grew at the
our transaction highest rate in 40 years and the fed funds rate reached its highest level in 14 years – and
revenue which geopolitical factors – notably the Russia/Ukraine war – have weighed heavily on financial
markets and crypto markets throughout 2022. While crypto markets have not always correlated
declined 44% Q/Q with macroeconomic conditions, we are seeing the broader risk-off appetite correlate with
movements in crypto prices this year.
In Q3, daily average crypto market capitalization declined 30% compared to Q2, including 35%
and 32% declines in the average price of BTC and ETH, respectively, continuing a downward price
trend that we have seen throughout the year. In addition to average crypto prices being lower,
they remained relatively range bound in Q3. As a result, crypto asset volatility – a key driver of
our retail trading volume – reached its lowest point in Q3 since 2020.
$3T
$2T
Q1 Average $1.95T
Q2 Average $1.50T
Q3 Average $1.05T
$1T
0
2022-01-01 2022-04-01 2022-07-01 2022-09-30
As discussed last quarter, during historic periods of declining crypto prices and low volatility, our
retail customers have historically shifted behavior from trading to “hodl’ing.” They have continued
to hold crypto on Coinbase, but traded less. We continued to see this trend play out in Q3 as well
and saw very high crypto asset retention rates – similar to levels seen during the last crypto
winter. We view this as a sign that, on average, our customers maintain long-term conviction in
crypto and we believe they will likely become more active when market conditions improve.
Second, crypto trading activity has been increasingly moving away from US-enabled exchanges,
where we continue to have strong market share. For example, September 2022 global monthly
crypto spot market volume declined 18% compared to January 2022, but over 50% when looking at
just US-enabled volume.
Q3 2022 3
We believe crypto policy in the United States is at an inflection point. Bipartisan Senators
introduced the Digital Commodities Consumer Protection Act (DCCPA) in August 2022, which
could lead to meaningful regulation and clarity on the treatment of digital assets. That
legislation would establish the Commodities Futures Trading Commission as the primary
regulator of digital asset commodities, and would thus close one of the biggest gaps in the
existing regulatory system for digital assets. While there are unresolved issues with this
legislation that need to be addressed, such as its treatment of DeFi, the legislation represents a
However, this legislation is not yet in place, and we are concerned that the regulation by
enforcement practices of U.S. regulators create an incentive for crypto developers and issuers to
leave the US crypto industry. We are seeing this in conversations with certain market participants
who are concerned about a hostile regulatory environment for those operating in the US. This
ultimately harms retail investors by pushing them to unregulated exchanges, and penalizes US-
US policy should incentivize crypto market participants to operate in the US, but a policy of
regulation by enforcement has the opposite effect. That’s why we filed a petition directly with
the SEC in July 2022 requesting they create clear rules for the digital asset securities market.
Those new rules, if created, would address directly when a digital asset is a security or a
commodity, and allow companies like Coinbase to offer a broader range of assets and products.
Meanwhile, leading economies, including the European Union, Australia, Japan, the UK,
Switzerland, and Brazil, are taking substantial regulatory steps to secure their role as leaders in
crypto. More specifically, the text of the European Union’s Markets in Crypto Assets (MiCA)
framework was finalized in October 2022, and will be applied throughout the EU’s 27 Member
States in 2024. The Indian Government also resolved to champion the development of an
international crypto regulatory framework as part of their forthcoming G20 presidency during
2023.
We will continue to advocate for clear regulations in the US and believe strongly that effective
crypto regulations are not only good for our business, but also for the welfare of society. The US
economy benefits from crypto jobs and projects that are being fueled by Web3 innovation, which
Coinbase is committed to protecting. US national security and its ability to combat crime are
strengthened by a strong crypto economy; it’s easier to stop bad actors when crypto assets are
located in the US. But in order to reap those benefits, the regulatory environment must be
Coinbase is committed to working with officials in the US and abroad to develop best-in-class
regulation. The work done on crypto policy today will impact this important sector of industry for
years to come, and allow us to accomplish our mission of advancing economic freedom around
the world.
Despite our expectation that sensible US policy efforts will prevail, we can’t ignore that our
business opportunity is rapidly evolving outside the US and this trend causes us to revisit aspects
of our international strategy which we plan to share with you in future quarters.
Third, as our retail customer hodls and the market shifts towards market makers and “pro” trader
activity, our competitors offer a broader product suite for these users. This includes perpetual
derivatives, high-leverage financing products, and more, which we do not currently offer.
These headwinds weighed on our Q3 trading volume. Q3 total trading volume was $159 billion,
down 27% compared to Q2. In contrast, total global spot market crypto trading volume declined
14% in Q3 compared to Q2. Retail and institutional trading volume declined 43% and 22%
Q3 2022 4
Trading Volume
Retail 93 177 74 46 26
Bitcoin 19 16 24 31 31
Ethereum 22 16 21 22 33
Bitcoin 21 16 25 31 31
Ethereum 22 16 23 22 24
While retail customers are trading less, we are retaining customers and growing assets through
MTUs
We served 8.5 million MTU Q
s in 3, a modest decline o f0 .5 million or 6 % compared to Q S 2. imilar
usage, nota b ly sta k ing. In Q % 3, 78 or 6.6 million MTU s transacted with non-investing products.
While sta k ing moneti z es at a lower rate compared to trading, we are pleased b y the growth in
ab solute revenue as compared to the prior crypto winter when our sta k ing products did not e x ist
(AT PU)
R was com orta f b b
ly a ove trough levels seen in 2 0
19.
On the institutional side, we continued to b e the leading partner powering the world s largest and ’
most sophisticated institutional investors and corporations on their crypto j ourney. Our C b oin ase
P rime off ering is b uilt to support all institutional client types through the full transaction
f
li ecycle, from trading and custody to sta k ing, governance, and analytics. In Q 3, we continued to
grow the num b er o f institutions on b oarded onto the C b oin f ase plat orm, including Koch
Q3 2022 5
Assets on Platform
At the end of Q3, Assets on Platform were $101 billion, up 5% from $96 billion at the end of Q2.
The increase was primarily driven by net inflows from customers during the quarter as well as the
increase in end-of-quarter crypto prices. Our market share of the total crypto market
capitalization declined slightly to 9.6% at the end of Q3 compared to 9.9% at the end of Q2. The
decline in market share was driven by price effects (i.e. larger price decreases for assets that
Assets on Platform
Bitcoin 42 40 42 44 39
Ethereum 22 25 24 20 24
Fiat 3 4 4 7 6
Note: As a result of the SAB 121 disclosure requirement, investors can now calculate Assets on Platform based on line items on our
balance sheet. Please add our “customer crypto liabilities” and “customer custodial cash liabilities” together to calculate total Assets
on Platform.
Q3 2022 6
While market conditions discussed above weighed heavily on our transaction revenues, our
Chapter 2
subscription and services revenue benefited from a higher interest rate environment (interest
Despite
income) as well as customer inflows (Staking and Custody), although the price movements
headwinds, there
impacted our reported revenue.
Net Revenue
Subscription and
Q3 net revenue was $576 million, of which $366 million was transaction revenue and $211 million
services revenue
was subscription and services revenue.
Other subscription and services revenue1 28.2 53.5 27.8 24.3 31.4
branded from Earn campaign revenues
revenues for Q3 and prior periods Tota l Subscription an d Services Revenue 145.1 213.4 151.9 147.4 210.5
shown. Prior to Q3, Earn campaign
Note: In Q4'21, we retrospectively reclassified certain revenue from Blockchain rewards to other subscription and services revenue in
order to conform with the current period presentation. This reclassification has no impact on our previously reported net revenue.
Transaction Revenue
Q3 transaction revenue declined 44% compared to Q2. Retail transaction revenue was $346
million, down 44% compared to Q2, while institutional transaction revenue was $20 million, down
Our blended average retail fee rate was largely unchanged in Q3 compared to Q2. Our
institutional blended average fee declined in Q3 compared to Q2, driven by lower fees associated
with our market maker program. The vast majority of our reported institutional trading volume
comes from our trading platform, where market makers and high frequency traders are the core
customers.
In Q3, subscription and services revenue grew 43% sequentially to $211 million. When applying
constant Q3 average crypto asset prices to prior quarters, subscription and services revenue
would have grown approximately 82% in Q3 compared to Q2. The biggest contributor within
subscription and services – interest income – benefited from the rising interest rate
environment.
Q3 2022 7
Revenue as Reported ($M) Revenue Adjusted to Avg Q3'22 Price ($M)1
$250 $250
$200 $200
$151.9
$145.1 $147.4
$150 $150
$115.7
$102.2
$50 $50
Blockchain rewards revenue was $63 million, down 8% compared to Q2, driven by a decline in
average crypto prices. In Q3, Blockchain rewards benefited from increased participation in
staking - both in terms of number of users and an increase in the number of native units staked
across all assets supported on our platform - compared to Q2. Staking user growth was driven
Custodial fee revenue was $15 million, down 34% compared to Q2. While we continued to grow
the number of billable customers and experienced net inflows in Q3, the sequential decline was
Q3 interest income was $102 million, up 213% compared to Q2 largely driven by the rising interest
rate environment which benefits interest income in two ways. First, through our participation in
the USD Coin (USDC) ecosystem. Second, through interest earned on customer fiat balances that
USDC is a leading US dollar stablecoin and is redeemable for US dollars. The USDC market
capitalization at the end of Q3 was approximately $49 billion. We have entered into agreements
with the issuer of USDC, pursuant to which we share any revenue generated from USDC reserves
pro rata based on (i) the amount of USDC distributed by each respective party and (ii) the amount
of USDC held on each respective party’s platform (i.e. held in its customers’ accounts).
At the end of Q3, we had $6.6 billion of customer fiat on our platform. This represents fiat dollars
in Coinbase customer accounts that were not invested in crypto. Customer fiat balances vary
depending on customer activity and we do not manage our business to grow these balances.
Finally, other subscription and services revenue was $31 million, up 29% sequentially. Other
subscription and services revenue have historically consisted primarily of Coinbase One and
Coinbase Cloud. Beginning in Q3, we are now including Learning Rewards – which we recently re-
branded from Earn – revenue in other subscription and services revenue. Learning Rewards
Q3 2022 8
Operating Expenses
Chapter 3
In Q2, we outlined a series of efforts aimed at streamlining our cost structure – including our June
We are diligently
headcount reductions and recalibrating future hiring plans, optimizing infrastructure and vendor
focused on cost
spend, and increased discipline in marketing spend. We were pleased to see these actions bear
optimization and fruit in Q3. Total operating expenses were $1.1 billion, down 38% compared to Q2. Absent non-
cash impairment charges, total operating expenses would have been down 22% compared to Q2.
cash management
– operating
expense declined
38% sequentially
Operating Expenses ($M)
(or 22% absent
OPERATING EXPENSES Q 3’21 Q 4’21 Q 1’22 Q 2’22 Q 3’22
the impact of non-
Transaction expenses were $102 million, down 39% compared to Q2. The primary driver of the
sequential decline was lower trading volume. Transaction expenses decreased to 18% of net
revenue in Q3 from 21% in Q2, driven by two primary factors: First, we saw lower miner fees due to
lower volume on blockchains and second, the higher percentage of net revenue coming from
interest income, which carries immaterial transaction expenses. Shifting revenue composition
Sales and marketing expenses were $76 million, down 46% compared to Q2. The primary driver of
the sequential decline was our decision to reduce performance marketing, due to lower
efficiency in this spend associated with softer crypto market conditions as well as savings
Technology and development expenses were $556 million, down 9% sequentially. The primary
drivers of the sequential decline were efficiencies in our infrastructure and other software
General and administrative expenses were $339 million, down 28% sequentially. The decline was
primarily driven by lower customer support expenses due to lower trading volume as well as
Q3 2022 9
Other operating expenses declined 82% sequentially to $75 million in Q3. As a reminder, other
operating expenses were elevated in Q2 as we incurred $377 million in non-cash crypto asset
Profitability
Net loss was $545 million. Adjusted EBITDA was negative $116 million.
Other expenses were $66 million, driven by foreign exchange losses (net of a gain on our FX
forward contracts). Given the strength of the US Dollar relative to the Euro and British Pound in
Q3, our foreign exchange losses principally represented a revaluation of certain receivables and
payables denominated in foreign currencies. Compared to Q2, other expenses declined 62% as
Our Q3 effective tax rate was approximately 15% and less than the US statutory rate primarily due
Share Count
Our weighted average fully diluted share count in Q3 was 224 million. We generally net share
settle our RSUs and have paid $269 million year-to-date in cash taxes on behalf of employees to
cover equity award taxes, which has resulted in approximately 2.6 million shares not being sold to
the market.
Capital Position
We ended Q3 with $5,608 million in total available $USD resources which we define as cash and
cash equivalents, USDC, and custodial account overfunding, a decline of $546 million compared
to Q2. As a reminder, custodial account overfunding represents both customer transaction fees
that have been paid but not yet been transferred into a corporate bank account and corporate
funds utilized to facilitate customer liquidity – since crypto trades 24/7 and banks are not open
24/7, we are not able to settle these accounts real-time. To calculate this balance, investors
should subtract “customer custodial cash liabilities” from “customer custodial cash” on the
USDC
$368 million
CUSTODIAL
ACCOUNT OVERFUNDING
$233 million
$168 million
$2,282 million
Corporate Cash
$2,557 Million
Q3 2022 10
2022 Q 2 to Q 3 Change in $USD Resources
$6,154M
Custodial Account
$110M
Overfunding
($387M)
($16M) ($11M)
$362M ($2M) $9M ($42M)
USDC ($97M)
$5,608M
Adj. Operating
$ 5,007M
Cash and Equivalents
Overfunding Overfunding
Operating
Investing
Financing
Other
Total
P Investing activities: $20 million use of cash, consisting of $16 million used for internally
3 Net cash paid for taxes related to
net share settlement of equity developed software and capital expenditures, $11 million use for M&A / ventures and $2
awards, offset by cash received for
million for crypto inventory, partially offset by $9 million from Financing Products, principally
the issuance of common stock upon
exercises of stock options, net of Retail Borrow.
repurchases and proceeds for the p
4 Primarily represents Effect of FX employee equity awards offset by proceeds from stock option exercises and our ESPP.
p
on corporate cash.
P Other activities: $97 million decline, primarily due to the effect of foreign exchange rates on
corporate cash (notably the impact of a stronger USD on our Euro and GBP balance).
We also consider our crypto assets held as investments as other unencumbered resources to us.
The fair market value of our crypto assets held as investments was $483 million as of September
30, 2022 and had a cost basis of $290 million. When including our crypto investments, total
available resources totaled $6,091 million.
Q3 2022 11
While price declines and lower trading volume dominate the headlines, we are encouraged by user
Chapter 4
sentiment, the scaling of blockchains, growth of our partnerships, and institutional adoption that
We are seeing
we saw throughout Q3. We see undeniable traction in product development making crypto more
continued
accessible. Under the surface of a challenging market, an innovation and adoption spring is
momentum in coiling.
our product
User Sentiment
development and
Despite price declines, long-term crypto sentiment remains high and it is a desired asset class.
partnerships,
According to an October 2022 Schwab study, over 40% of both Gen Z and Millennials surveyed
supported by indicated they wished they could invest in cryptocurrencies through their 401(k)s – the second
highest response – and over 40% of both groups currently invest in crypto. Investing in crypto is a
ongoing crypto
more preferred method for these same groups to save for retirement. Earlier this year, Fidelity
innovation and
Investments announced the industry’s first offering that will enable individuals to have a portion
adoption
of their retirement savings allocated to Bitcoin through the core 401(k) plan investment lineup. We
Blockchain Scalability
On chain transaction speeds and costs are not yet comparable to off chain solutions. Increasing
scalability is an important step in crypto adoption for payments and other use cases. In Q3, we
supported a major milestone with the Ethereum Merge, Ethereum's long-awaited migration to a
new “Proof of Stake” consensus mechanism from its previous reliance on “Proof of Work.” The
Merge was six years in the making and is considered by many to be a landmark event in the history
of cryptocurrencies due to its implications for improved energy efficiency as well as future
security and scalability. While the Merge did not immediately increase transaction speeds or
lower costs, it was an important foundational step for the next major Ethereum upgrade,
Shanghai, which intends to address scalability in addition to providing liquidity for Ethereum
staking.
Partnerships
Coinbase’s role in helping some of the preeminent industry leaders execute on their crypto
strategiesm
2 GOOGLE In October, we announced a strategic partnership with Google Cloud. As part of this
partnership, select Google Cloud customers will be able to pay for their services via select
developers will also gain access to Google Cloud’s public blockchain datasets via BigQuery,
powered by Coinbase Cloud’s Node service. And Google will use Coinbase Prime for
2 SS&C We also recently announced a partnership with SS&C, a global provider of services and
software for the financial services and healthcare industries, to offer its clients access to
Coinbase Prime. With the partnership, traders using Eze Investment Suite can manage their
connectivity with Coinbase Prime. Coinbase Prime will provide crypto trading, custody, prime
brokerage, and reporting capabilities to Aladdin’s Institutional client base, some of whom are,
or may become clients of Coinbase. Since announcing the partnership, we have continued
building technology and working on integration, and plan to have our offering available to
2 SIGNET Coinbase Exchange has joined Signature Bank's Signet to empower users to fund and
settle their Coinbase accounts in real-time, 24/7/365. Users can now add USDC to the Web3
Q3 2022 12
Institutional Adoption
Despite current market conditions, Institutional investor interest in crypto continues to grow.
According to an October 2022 study by Fidelity Digital Assets – which was conducted during the
first half of 2022 – 58% of institutional investors surveyed reported owning digital assets, an
increase of 6% compared to the prior year’s survey. Moreover, those investors surveyed in the US
and Europe reported increased familiarity, improved perception, and more digital asset
investments.
Following on our recent BlackRock partnership announcement, we have also seen continued
interest, with more and more institutions reaching out to engage on helping them onboard into
the cryptoeconomy. As of the end of the quarter, roughly 25% of the 100 largest hedge funds in
the world by reported assets under management have chosen to onboard with Coinbase.
Product Development
We continue to invest and advance our platform to offer the largest breadth of fully integrated,
easy-to-use products to serve our three customer groups: consumers, institutions, and
developers.
Providing our users access to the entirety of legal and safe assets available in the cryptoeconomy
is a foundational objective of our platform. In Q3, we added 22 additional assets to custody and
20 to our trading platform – bringing the total number of tradable assets to over 220, more than
double compared with just one year ago. In addition, we continue to make additional assets
accessible to our users by reducing barriers of access to decentralized finance and enabling
As we shared with you in Q2, we remain focused on five strategic product priorities. We are
investing to ensure we are well positioned to meet future demand as the cryptoeconomy grows.
Coinbase Retail App Bring the next 100 million users into crypto.
Coinbase Prime Maintain our position as the #1 custodian and become the leading
Developer Products – Coinbase Cloud Establish Coinbase Cloud as the market-leading platform for millions of
developers.
Web3 Enable 1 billion+ people to safely and securely use Web3 every day.
We are building a full suite of products for our retail users to engage across the cryptoeconomy,
allowing them to buy, sell, stake, pay, borrow, and more on a single platform. In Q3, our focus was
to continue to integrate features into our flagship Coinbase app to increase usability and
both mobile and desktop, incorporating all of our traditional and advanced features into a single,
easy-to-use app. This launch reduces friction for advanced traders to access our full product
suite, including additional features ranging from staking to tax reporting. Combining will also
Q3 2022 13
streamline our product development cycle, reducing total time to build and deploy new changes.
In Q4, we expect to deprecate our Coinbase Pro app as its features will now be incorporated into
this experience.
COINBASE ONE: In early Q3, we fully rolled out Coinbase One, our subscription product, to all US
retail users, offering unlimited trading, enhanced customer support, and additional benefits for a
low monthly fee. We continue to see growth in our paid and total subscriber base, and while still
in beta, we are seeing good user engagement and incremental revenue per user in these early
days. We will continue to closely monitor overall user behavior as we aim to provide further value
enabling our retail users to seamlessly access thousands of decentralized applications, which we
believe will position us well to serve as the bridge for long-term adoption of these applications.
Through this integration, we made it easier for our users to trade via DEXes. DEXes are a growing
part of the market as they offer access to a broad group of emerging assets and we are excited to
Coinbase Prime offers a comprehensive suite of products for institutional clients to help them
with all their crypto needs - trading, custody, transfers, financing, analytics, and generating
rewards.
In Q3, we launched our second CFTC-regulated derivatives offering, the Nano Ethereum Futures
contract, on our Coinbase Derivatives Exchange. Our Bitcoin and Ethereum futures contracts are
available via a range of third-party brokers, including Ninja Trader, Tradovate, Ironbeam, and more.
Coinbase is the first crypto-native platform to gain traction in the regulated derivatives market
and we have seen $1.5 billion in notional volume across our contracts since launch. Pending
regulatory approval, we look forward to making these derivative products available directly to our
customers.
Staking helps ensure blockchains run efficiently and provides protocol users with an opportunity
to earn rewards to help secure transactions on the blockchain. We have grown the number of
assets supported for staking, including adding Cardano in Q1 and Solana at the end of Q2 which
impacted Q3 results. These new products help attract new customers onto the platform but are
also engaging older vintages of customers on the platform who find value in these products.
In Q3, we launched Institutional staking for Ethereum globally and while adoption is still in its
early days, we are optimistic about the long-term opportunity. In addition, we offered users
additional utility for their staked Ethereum through our wrapped cbETH product. This product
allows users who own Ethereum to “wrap” it, allowing them to continue to earn yield on their
assets via staking, while also being able to buy or sell that asset.
Developer Products: Through Coinbase Cloud we seek to provide developers with everything
they need to easily, and securely build Web3 apps. Coinbase Cloud enables developers to run
blockchain nodes, support crypto trading, provide fiat on- and off-ramps to their users, and more.
We launched our first self-serve Cloud developer product, Node, which provides developers with
blockchain access to build, launch, and scale their Web3 applications. As the number of Web3
developers continues to grow – monthly active Web3 developers reached an all time high in
December 2021 according to Electric Capital – we are optimistic that products like Node can
make it easier, simpler, and less costly to build new applications on the blockchain. This offering
is available to developers for free on the Ethereum Network and complements our existing
Q3 2022 14
Web3: We believe that the cryptoeconomy represents a disruptive challenge to current internet
business models. We believe Web3 represents a new computing platform that will be owned by
builders and users and power a new generation of applications and services. Both larger
companies and smaller developers are increasingly embracing this vision of the future and we are
Coinbase Wallet is the easiest-to-use and most secure way for individuals around the world to
access and participate in Web3. In Q3, we re-architected the Coinbase Wallet app for improved
usability and performance, including a native browser that supports all of the top Web3
blockchains and a new Decentralized Identity that acts as the canonical identifier for entities to
instantly transact with each other with confidence. Coinbase Wallet is also becoming the
aggregation point for all activity in Web3, making it easier for users to find what they're looking
for from a single app. To this end, we launched aggregated NFT listings and commerce - enabling
users to access the largest supply of NFTs and transact at the best possible prices across the full
Q3 2022 15
2022
Chapter 5
We are continuing to face headwinds which impact our transaction revenues. October trading
2022 Outlook and
volume was $47 billion and MTUs through October are roughly in-line with our reported Q3
2023 Preview
results. In Q4, we expect lower trading volume and a similar number of MTUs compared to our Q3
results.
In the meantime, due to our expense actions, we remain cautiously optimistic for our ability to
operate within the $500 million Adjusted EBITDA loss guardrail that we communicated for 2022.
This assumes that crypto market capitalization and volatility do not deteriorate meaningfully
below October levels and that we do not see changes in customer behaviors.
Average Transaction Around $20 Through Q3, retail ATRPU was $24. Our full-year average
Revenue Per User (ATRPU) outlook reflects MTU mix shift towards non-invest products
resulting in full-year ATRPU of around $20. Note that ATRPU
excludes both subscription and services and institutional
transaction revenue.
Subscription and More than $700 million We expect growth in our subscription and services revenue to
Sales and Marketing $500 - $550 million We are tightening our expense range to $500-$550 million
Expenses
(including approximately $70 million in stock-based
Including stock-based compensation) from our prior range of $500-$ 600 million.
compensation
We expect sales and marketing expenses to be higher in Q4
Technology and Around $4.0 billion We are lowering our expense range from our prior range of
Development + General and $4.0-$4.25 billion as a result of our ongoing cost management
Administrative Expense s
1
initiatives. This includes approximately $ .5 billion of stock-
compensation
compensation expense to increase in Q4 compared to Q3 due
Other Expenses N/A We do not provide an outlook on these expenses as they are
impairment expense.
Tax Mid-to-high teens Our annual estimated tax rate is in the range of mid to
high teens.
Q3 2022 16
2023 Preview
Our longstanding approach to navigating crypto volatility has been to model a variety of revenue
scenarios, layer in additional stress events, and ensure we have sufficient capital resources to
navigate a multi-year low revenue scenario. We are continuing that approach in these markets,
and believe that with our current balance sheet and expense management focus, we will be able
to operate through a multi-year down cycle. This means we’re preparing for 2023 with a
conservative bias and assuming that the current macroeconomic headwinds will persist and
possibly intensify.
Revenue The current business climate puts pressure on retail trading activity and by extension
our transaction revenue. Barring any major changes to the macroeconomic climate, we are
preparing for the pressure on transaction revenue to persist into next year. On the other hand, we
also see an opportunity to continue growing our subscription and services products.
Expenses We plan to continue diligently managing our expenses in line with our principles for
operating efficiently at scale. We believe that with our current balance sheet and expense
management focus, we will be able to operate through a multi-year down cycle. We will continue
to update our scenarios as conditions evolve and will take additional actions to manage expenses
Metrics Given that crypto markets and our revenue sources continue to evolve rapidly, we
believe there may be an opportunity to evolve our key business metrics disclosures to better align
with business performance. This re-evaluation of our key business metrics may include changes
to or the elimination of certain metrics. We expect to share updates in the coming quarters.
Q3 2022 17
Webcast Information
We will host a question and answer session to discuss the results for the third quarter 2022 on
November 3, 2022 at 2:30 pm PT. The live webcast of the call will be available on the Investor
This communication contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private
Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All statements other than statements of historical fact
are forward-looking statements. These statements include, but are not limited to, statements
regarding our future operating results and financial position, including for the fourth quarter and
the full-year ending December 31, 2022, anticipated future expenses and investments,
expectations relating to certain of our key financial and operating metrics, our business strategy
and plans, expectations relating to our industry, the regulatory environment, market conditions,
trends and growth, expectations relating to customer behaviors and preferences, our ability to
fund our operations through a prolonged crypto winter, our market position and potential market
opportunities, and our objectives for future operations. The words “believe,” “may,” “will,”
“plan,” “target,” and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements.
projections based on information available at the time the statements were made. These
including risks and uncertainties related to: our ability to successfully execute our business and
growth strategy and maintain future profitability, market acceptance of our products and
services, our ability to further penetrate our existing customer base and expand our customer
base, our ability to develop new products and services, our ability to expand internationally, the
success of any acquisitions or investments that we make, the effects of increased competition in
our markets, our ability to stay in compliance with applicable laws and regulations, market
conditions across the cryptoeconomy and general market, political and economic conditions. It is
not possible for our management to predict all risks, nor can we assess the impact of all factors
on our business or the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause actual
results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statements we may make.
In light of these risks, uncertainties, and assumptions, our actual results could differ materially
and adversely from those anticipated or implied in the forward-looking statements. Further
information on risks that could cause actual results to differ materially from forecasted results
are, or will be included in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)
including our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2021 filed with the
SEC on February 25, 2022, our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31,
2022 filed with the SEC on May 10, 2022, our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended
June 30, 2022 filed with the SEC on August 9, 2022 and our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the
quarter ended September 30, 2022 that will be filed with the SEC. Except as required by law, we
actual results differ materially from those anticipated in the forward-looking statements.
principles (GAAP), we believe Adjusted EBITDA, a non-GAAP measure, is useful in evaluating our
operating performance. We use Adjusted EBITDA to evaluate our ongoing operations for internal
planning and forecasting purposes. We believe that Adjusted EBITDA may be helpful to investors
because it provides consistency and comparability with past financial performance. However,
Adjusted EBITDA is presented for supplemental informational purposes only, has limitations as an
analytical tool, and should not be considered in isolation or as a substitute for financial
information presented in accordance with GAAP. Among other non-cash and non-recurring items,
Adjusted EBITDA excludes stock-based compensation expense, which has recently been, and will
continue to be for the foreseeable future, a significant recurring expense for our business and an
Q3 2022 18
In addition, other companies, including companies in our industry, may calculate similarly titled
non-GAAP measures, including Adjusted EBITDA, differently or may use other measures to
evaluate their performance, all of which could reduce the usefulness of our non-GAAP financial
A reconciliation of Adjusted EBITDA to net income (loss) can be found below in the table
captioned “Reconciliation of Net Income (Loss) to Adjusted EBITDA.” Investors are encouraged to
review the related GAAP financial measures and the reconciliation of Adjusted EBITDA to its most
directly comparable GAAP financial measure, and not to rely on any single financial measure to
evaluate our business. We calculate Adjusted EBITDA as net income (loss), adjusted to exclude
provision for or benefit from income taxes, depreciation and amortization, interest expense,
crypto asset borrowing costs, stock-based compensation expense, crypto asset impairment, net,
exchange, fair value gain on foreign exchange derivatives, fair value gain or loss on derivatives,
non-recurring legal reserves and related costs, and other adjustments, net.
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