Coinbase reports 63 percent decline in revenue amid industry downturn.
Coinbase, the largest cryptocurrency exchange in the United States, reported a 63 percent drop in revenue on Tuesday as it weathers a broader downturn in the crypto market.
The company said second-quarter revenue was $808 million, down from $2.2 billion a year earlier. The number of monthly customers rose to nine million from 8.8 million last year, but it was down from 9.2 million the previous quarter. Coinbase also swung to a net loss of $1.1 billion, compared to a profit of $1.6 billion a year ago.
It was the second quarter in a row that Coinbase has seen a decline in revenue and users compared to the previous quarter.
The results underscored the strong challenges facing Coinbase at a turbulent moment for the crypto industry. The prices of the leading cryptocurrencies crashed in May and June as a series of experimental crypto ventures collapsed, plunging investors into financial ruin. The crash has led to layoffs and cost-cutting across the industry, dampening tensions that rose last fall when the price of Bitcoin hit an all-time high.
As part of the industry meltdown, Coinbase’s stock price has fallen about 75 percent since November. The company’s success is largely tied to the fluctuations of the broader crypto market. In the first quarter, about 90 percent of its revenue came from trading fees it charged customers to buy and sell cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin and Ether.
In June, Coinbase laid off 18 percent of employees, or around 1,100 employees. Brian Armstrong, chief executive, said the company had “overstaffed”.
Coinbase’s recent struggles have led to concerns that it could squander its early lead in the industry, as competitors such as Binance and FTX continue to expand during the downturn.
Despite its early start, Coinbase has never had a strong foothold in the international market, and it recently botched an expansion effort in India. The year’s most hyped product launch — a marketplace for digital collectibles known as non-fungible tokens, or NFTs — is considered a misfire. A hiring party last year led to overspending and bloat.
The company has also been under regulatory scrutiny. Last month, the Justice Department filed insider trading charges against a former Coinbase employee. In a related action, the Securities and Exchange Commission said it considered some of the digital coins traded on Coinbase’s exchange to be securities and therefore subject to regulation like stocks or bonds — a stance the company has protested.
Coinbase’s competitors seem to be doing better. FTX, another crypto exchange, has seen financial results that are “similar” to last year, according to CEO Sam Bankman-Fried. Binance, the world’s largest exchange, announced in June that it was looking to fill 2,000 positions.
Nevertheless, Coinbase remains one of the most trusted and recognized crypto brands in the US, known for its memorable Super Bowl commercial with a bouncing QR code. Last week, the company announced a partnership with BlackRock, the world’s largest asset manager, to help institutional investors trade Bitcoin.
