Coinbase Ventures outlined its key directions for 2026. The fund is choosing a strategy centered around derivatives on real assets, specialized exchanges, a new wave of DeFi instruments, and a close intersection of crypto with AI and robotics. In fact, the company is showing what the infrastructure of the next major cycle could look like.
RWA futures go beyond cryptocurrency assets
One of the main theses is the expansion of the market for futures and other derivative instruments on real assets. This means that traders will be able to gain synthetic exposure to oil, inflation, credit spreads, macro data, or even private companies — while not holding the underlying asset itself.
The fund's team notes that market participants need more ways to express macro positions, rather than just longing digital assets. The stronger the crypto market ties to global finance, the higher the demand for RWA derivatives.
Specialized exchanges and terminals for prediction markets
Coinbase also highlights niche trading platforms. In particular, Prop-AMM on Solana, which protect liquidity providers from toxic flow.
Another promising direction is trading terminals for prediction markets. This sector is currently fragmented, and a single access point to liquidity could become a new growth driver.
DeFi in 2026: new models
According to the fund's estimates, in 2026, the following will strengthen:
Combined market models, where collateral continues to generate income even when the user holds a leveraged futures position.
Unsecured lending on-chain. Reputation models could take a portion of the huge $1.3 trillion market for unsecured loans in the U.S.
Privacy as a foundation. Users will seek secure orders, loans, credit, and payments that preserve confidentiality while remaining verifiable.
AI and robotics are entering Web3
A separate vector is automation through AI. Coinbase predicts that 2026 will be an important point: AI agents will be able to write smart contracts, test them, launch on-chain applications, and ensure continuous security monitoring. This significantly lowers the entry barrier for startups and makes Web3 development more accessible.
The fund's investments confirm the strategy
Previously, Coinbase Ventures has already invested in projects related to selected directions:
$14.6 million in Bastion — stablecoin infrastructure
$5 million in Vana — user data network
participation in the funding round of the payment company Mesh
These deals show that the fund is betting on fundamental instruments — RWA, AI integrations, new derivative models, and the development of DeFi.
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