Base Announces 2026 Strategy: Focus on Tokenization Market, Stablecoins, and Developers

CoinDesk reported on March 31 that Coinbase’s Layer 2 network Base has unveiled its 2026 strategy, focusing on three core areas: tokenized markets, stablecoin payments, and the developer ecosystem—with the goal of building a “global on-chain economy.” For markets, Base plans to build infrastructure to support tokenized versions of assets like stocks and commodities, while also covering native crypto markets such as perpetual contracts and prediction markets. It aims to boost settlement speed, cut costs, and expand the Base App into a trading venue for multiple asset classes. On the payments front, Base will prioritize stablecoins, with plans to roll out privacy features, allow transaction fees to be paid in stablecoins, expand multi-currency stablecoin liquidity, and integrate financial tools like savings and lending directly within the app. For developers, Base says it will continue investing in initiatives like Base Batches, while launching new tools—including support for AI applications to interact with on-chain markets. It also plans to introduce new standards and incentive mechanisms to drive higher user activity and trading volume. The strategy comes as Base gradually reduces its reliance on the Optimism OP Stack. In February, the Coinbase team announced Base will increasingly lean on in-house developed code to gain greater autonomy over its technical architecture. Launched publicly in August 2023, Base is one of the most widely used Layer 2 networks in the Ethereum ecosystem.