Coinbase Global, Inc. (COIN)
SIC breadcrumb: Finance, Insurance, And Real Estate > SIC Major Group 61 > SIC 6199 Finance Services
SEC company page: https://www.sec.gov/edgar/browse/?CIK=1679788. Latest filing source: 0001679788-26-000015.
Informational only - descriptive public-record data, not investment advice.
Selected Fundamentals
| Metric | Value | Unit | FY | Filed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue | 7,181,325,000 | USD | 2025 | 2026-02-12 |
| Net income | 1,260,327,000 | USD | 2025 | 2026-02-12 |
| Assets | 29,671,832,000 | USD | 2025 | 2026-02-12 |
Financials
Annual standardized facts from SEC companyfacts as of latest extracted filing date 2026-02-12. Source: https://data.sec.gov/api/xbrl/companyfacts/CIK0001679788.json. Derived margins, ratios, and free cash flow are computed from the extracted annual SEC facts.
| Metric | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue | 533,735,000 | 1,277,481,000 | 7,839,444,000 | 3,194,208,000 | 3,108,383,000 | 6,564,028,000 | 7,181,325,000 | |
| Net income | -30,387,000 | 322,317,000 | 3,624,120,000 | -2,624,949,000 | 94,871,000 | 2,579,066,000 | 1,260,327,000 | |
| Operating income | -45,783,000 | 408,951,000 | 3,076,570,000 | -2,710,208,000 | -161,662,000 | 2,307,160,000 | 1,435,441,000 | |
| Diluted EPS | -0.50 | 1.40 | 14.50 | -11.83 | 0.37 | 9.48 | 4.45 | |
| Operating cash flow | -80,594,000 | 293,548,000 | 4,038,172,000 | -1,585,419,000 | 673,376,000 | 3,103,935,000 | 2,426,383,000 | |
| Share buybacks | 0.00 | 0.00 | 790,195,000 | |||||
| Assets | 5,855,414,000 | 21,274,425,000 | 89,724,873,000 | 14,753,901,000 | 22,541,951,000 | 29,671,832,000 | ||
| Liabilities | 4,329,363,000 | 14,892,736,000 | 84,270,316,000 | 8,472,252,000 | 12,265,109,000 | 14,878,774,000 | ||
| Stockholders' equity | 500,071,000 | 497,086,000 | 963,584,000 | 6,381,689,000 | 5,454,557,000 | 6,281,649,000 | 10,276,842,000 | 14,793,058,000 |
| Cash and cash equivalents | 548,945,000 | 1,061,850,000 | 7,123,478,000 | 4,425,021,000 | 5,489,100,000 | 9,308,266,000 | 11,285,452,000 |
Ratios
| Metric | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net margin | -5.69% | 25.23% | 46.23% | -82.18% | 3.05% | 39.29% | 17.55% | |
| Operating margin | -8.58% | 32.01% | 39.24% | -84.85% | -5.20% | 35.15% | 19.99% | |
| Return on equity | -6.11% | 33.45% | 56.79% | -48.12% | 1.51% | 25.10% | 8.52% | |
| Return on assets | 5.50% | 17.04% | -2.93% | 0.64% | 11.44% | 4.25% | ||
| Liabilities / equity | 4.49 | 2.33 | 15.45 | 1.35 | 1.19 | 1.01 | ||
| Current ratio | 1.21 | 1.61 | 1.07 | 2.07 | 2.28 | 2.34 |
Financial Charts
Quarterly
Quarterly standardized facts from SEC companyfacts as of latest extracted filing date 2026-05-07. Source: https://data.sec.gov/api/xbrl/companyfacts/CIK0001679788.json.
| Quarter | End Date | Revenue | Net Income | Diluted EPS | Method |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022-Q2 | 2022-06-30 | -4.98 | reported discrete quarter | ||
| 2022-Q3 | 2022-09-30 | -2.43 | reported discrete quarter | ||
| 2023-Q1 | 2023-03-31 | -0.34 | reported discrete quarter | ||
| 2023-Q2 | 2023-06-30 | 707,911,000 | -97,405,000 | -0.42 | reported discrete quarter |
| 2023-Q3 | 2023-09-30 | 674,148,000 | -2,265,000 | -0.01 | reported discrete quarter |
| 2023-Q4 | 2023-12-31 | 953,795,000 | 273,437,000 | derived Q4 = FY annual - nine-month YTD | |
| 2024-Q1 | 2024-03-31 | 1,637,570,000 | 1,176,245,000 | 4.40 | reported discrete quarter |
| 2024-Q2 | 2024-06-30 | 1,449,628,000 | 36,150,000 | 0.14 | reported discrete quarter |
| 2024-Q3 | 2024-09-30 | 1,205,193,000 | 75,495,000 | 0.28 | reported discrete quarter |
| 2024-Q4 | 2024-12-31 | 2,271,637,000 | 1,291,176,000 | derived Q4 = FY annual - nine-month YTD | |
| 2025-Q1 | 2025-03-31 | 2,034,295,000 | 65,608,000 | 0.24 | reported discrete quarter |
| 2025-Q2 | 2025-06-30 | 1,497,208,000 | 1,428,900,000 | 5.14 | reported discrete quarter |
| 2025-Q3 | 2025-09-30 | 1,868,693,000 | 432,552,000 | 1.50 | reported discrete quarter |
| 2025-Q4 | 2025-12-31 | 1,781,129,000 | -666,733,000 | derived Q4 = FY annual - nine-month YTD | |
| 2026-Q1 | 2026-03-31 | 1,412,982,000 | -394,117,000 | -1.49 | reported discrete quarter |
Quarterly Charts
Macro Cross-References
- CPIAUCSL - Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers: All Items in U.S. City Average
- UNRATE - Unemployment Rate
- FEDFUNDS - Federal Funds Effective Rate
- CES0500000003 - Average Hourly Earnings of All Employees, Total Private
- DFEDTARU - Federal Funds Target Range - Upper Limit
- DFEDTARL - Federal Funds Target Range - Lower Limit
- DGS3MO - Market Yield on U.S. Treasury Securities at 3-Month Constant Maturity
- DGS2 - Market Yield on U.S. Treasury Securities at 2-Year Constant Maturity
- DGS10 - Market Yield on U.S. Treasury Securities at 10-Year Constant Maturity
- DGS30 - Market Yield on U.S. Treasury Securities at 30-Year Constant Maturity
- T10Y2Y - 10-Year Treasury Constant Maturity Minus 2-Year Treasury Constant Maturity
- CPILFESL - Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers: All Items Less Food and Energy
- CPIUFDSL - Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers: Food
- CPIENGSL - Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers: Energy
- CUSR0000SAH1 - Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers: Shelter
- PCEPI - Personal Consumption Expenditures: Chain-type Price Index
- PCEPILFE - Personal Consumption Expenditures Excluding Food and Energy: Chain-type Price Index
- PPIACO - Producer Price Index by Commodity: All Commodities
- T10YIE - 10-Year Breakeven Inflation Rate
- U6RATE - Total Unemployed, Plus All Marginally Attached Workers Plus Total Employed Part Time for Economic Reasons
- PAYEMS - All Employees, Total Nonfarm
- CIVPART - Labor Force Participation Rate
- EMRATIO - Employment-Population Ratio
- UNEMPLOY - Unemployed
- CE16OV - Employment Level
- ICSA - Initial Claims
- JTSJOL - Job Openings: Total Nonfarm
- JTSQUR - Quits: Total Nonfarm
- GDPC1 - Real Gross Domestic Product
- A191RL1Q225SBEA - Real Gross Domestic Product: Percent Change from Preceding Period
- INDPRO - Industrial Production: Total Index
- TCU - Capacity Utilization: Total Index
- HOUST - New Privately-Owned Housing Units Started: Total Units
- PERMIT - New Privately-Owned Housing Units Authorized in Permit-Issuing Places: Total Units
- RSAFS - Advance Retail Sales: Retail Trade
- PCE - Personal Consumption Expenditures
- DSPIC96 - Real Disposable Personal Income
- PSAVERT - Personal Saving Rate
- M2SL - M2
- BOPGSTB - U.S. International Trade in Goods and Services: Balance
- MSPUS - Median Sales Price of Houses Sold for the United States
- HSN1F - New One Family Houses Sold: United States
- RHORUSQ156N - Homeownership Rate in the United States
- TTLCONS - Total Construction Spending: Total Construction in the United States
- RRVRUSQ156N - Rental Vacancy Rate in the United States
- TOTALSL - Total Consumer Credit Owned and Securitized
- REVOLSL - Revolving Consumer Credit Owned and Securitized
- DRCCLACBS - Delinquency Rate on Credit Card Loans, All Commercial Banks
- GDP - Gross Domestic Product
- GPDI - Gross Private Domestic Investment
- GCE - Government Consumption Expenditures and Gross Investment
- PCEC - Personal Consumption Expenditures
- NETEXP - Net Exports of Goods and Services
- GFDEBTN - Federal Debt: Total Public Debt
- GFDEGDQ188S - Federal Debt: Total Public Debt as Percent of Gross Domestic Product
- FYFSD - Federal Surplus or Deficit
- FGRECPT - Federal Government Current Receipts
- FGEXPND - Federal Government: Current Expenditures
- MANEMP - All Employees, Manufacturing
- USCONS - All Employees, Construction
- USTRADE - All Employees, Retail Trade
- USFIRE - All Employees, Financial Activities
- USGOVT - All Employees, Government
- AWHAETP - Average Weekly Hours of All Employees, Total Private
- DGORDER - Manufacturers' New Orders: Durable Goods
- NEWORDER - Manufacturers' New Orders: Nondefense Capital Goods Excluding Aircraft
- BUSINV - Total Business Inventories
- EXPGS - Exports of Goods and Services
- IMPGS - Imports of Goods and Services
- IR - Import Price Index (End Use): All Commodities
- PPIFIS - Producer Price Index by Commodity: Final Demand
Latest quarter (10-Q)
Latest 10-Q source: 0001679788-26-000054.
ITEM 2. MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
The following discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations should be read in conjunction with our Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements (the “Financial Statements”) and the accompanying notes thereto included elsewhere in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q and our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2025 (the “Annual Report”). The following discussion and analysis contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties, as well as assumptions that, if they never materialize or prove incorrect, could cause our results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause or contribute to these differences include, but are not limited to, those identified below, those set forth under Special Note About Forward-Looking Statements of this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q and those discussed in the section titled Risk Factors in Part I, Item 1A of our Annual Report, together with any updates in the section titled Risk Factors in Part II, Item 1A of this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q. Unless otherwise expressly stated or the context otherwise requires, references to “we,” “our,” “us,” “the Company,” and “Coinbase” refer to Coinbase Global, Inc. and its consolidated subsidiaries. For all narrative provided in this Item 2, two numbers presented consecutively represent figures for the three months ended March 31, 2026 as compared to the three months ended March 31, 2025, respectively, unless otherwise noted.
Executive Overview
This executive overview of Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations highlights selected information and does not contain all of the information that is important to readers of this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q.
We announced the Everything Exchange in December 2025, and during the first quarter of 2026, we saw strong growth across derivatives, prediction markets, and decentralized exchange trading. Stablecoin adoption is accelerating and USDC reached an all-time high in both market capitalization and average USDC held in Coinbase products.
For the three months ended March 31, 2026, our net revenue was $1.3 billion, including $755.8 million in transaction revenue and $583.5 million in subscription and services revenue. For the three months ended March 31, 2025, our net revenue was $1.9 billion, including $1.3 billion in transaction revenue and $674.6 million in subscription and services revenue.
For the three months ended March 31, 2026, our net loss was $394.1 million and Adjusted EBITDA was $303.3 million. For the three months ended March 31, 2025, our net income was $65.6 million and Adjusted EBITDA was $929.9 million.
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For 2026, with growing regulatory clarity, we believe we are well-positioned to drive crypto’s role in the global economy, through the Everything Exchange and by advancing stablecoin adoption with USDC, including scaling payments. We are working to further grow assets on our platform, and in turn revenue, as customers discover and adopt more products where their assets already reside. We plan to dynamically adjust our expense base in order to be responsive to market conditions and revenue opportunities, increasing or decreasing it as needed, especially with respect to certain variable expenses. On May 5, 2026, subsequent to quarter end, we announced the Restructuring Plan. We anticipate this plan will help us better align our operating expenses with current market conditions and optimize our operations for the AI era. Including reflecting the impact of the Restructuring Plan, in the second quarter of 2026, we expect the aggregate of technology and development and general and administrative expenses to generally be lower than the first quarter of 2026. Additionally, we expect sales and marketing expenses to be roughly in line with or lower than those of the first quarter of 2026, also reflecting the Restructuring Plan and the anticipated timing and scope of marketing opportunities.
Key Business Metrics
In addition to the measures presented in our Financial Statements, we use the key business metrics listed below to evaluate our business, measure our performance, identify trends affecting our business, and make strategic decisions:
| Three Months Ended March 31, | Change | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 2025 | % | |||||||||||||
| MTUs(1) (in millions) | 8.2 | 9.7 | (15) | ||||||||||||
| Assets on Platform(2) (in billions) | $ | 294 | $ | 328 | (10) | ||||||||||
| Trading Volume(3) (in billions) | $ | 202 | $ | 401 | (50) | ||||||||||
| Net (loss) income (in millions) | $ | (394) | $ | 66 | (697) | ||||||||||
| Adjusted EBITDA(4) (in millions) | $ | 303 | $ | 930 | (67) |
_____________
(1)Represents quarterly MTUs, which are derived from the average of each month’s MTUs in each respective quarter.
(2)Represents Assets on Platform as of March 31.
(3)Represents the total U.S. Dollar equivalent of Spot Trading Volume transacted through our platform. During the fourth quarter of 2025, we redefined Trading Volume to add half of the trade value of spot trades that are routed off our platform for fulfillment, in order to provide a more comprehensive view of Trading Volume that drives our transaction revenue. Prior period amounts have been recast to conform to the current period’s definition.
(4)See Non-GAAP Financial Measure below for a reconciliation of net (loss) income to Adjusted EBITDA and an explanation for why we consider Adjusted EBITDA to be a helpful metric for investors.
Monthly Transacting Users
We define a Monthly Transacting User (“MTU”) as a consumer who actively or passively transacts in one or more products on our platform at least once during the rolling 28-day period ending on the date of measurement. MTUs engage in transactions that generate transaction revenue or subscription and services revenue. Revenue-generating transactions include active transactions, such as buying or selling crypto assets or passive transactions such as earning staking rewards and USDC rewards. MTUs also engage in transactions that are non-revenue generating, such as consumers sending and receiving crypto assets between wallets and off-platform accounts on a non-expedited basis. MTUs may overstate the number of unique consumers due to differences in product architecture or user behavior.
MTUs decreased for the three months ended March 31, 2026 as compared to 2025, primarily due to a decrease in trading users, influenced by overall market conditions.
Assets on Platform
We define Assets on Platform (“AOP”) as the total United States (“U.S.”) dollar equivalent value of crypto assets and payment stablecoins held or managed on behalf of customers in digital wallets on our platform, including our custody services but excluding assets for which the customer holds full or partial keys, calculated based on the market price on the date of measurement. AOP demonstrates the scale of
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balances held across our suite of products and services, the trust customers place in us to securely store their assets, and the underlying growth of the onchain economy. AOP also represents a monetization opportunity through our products and services, including from trading and the adoption and use of payment stablecoins, staking, custody, and institutional financing, when customers use these assets to engage with these products and services.
The following table sets forth the value of AOP by asset (in millions, except percentages):
| March 31, 2026 | March 31, 2025 | Value Change | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Units | Value | Units | Value | % | |||||||||||
| Bitcoin | 3.0 | $ | 202,335 | 2.7 | $ | 219,076 | (8) | ||||||||
| Ethereum | 19.0 | 40,027 | 15.8 | 28,812 | 39 | ||||||||||
| XRP | 9,175.1 | 12,294 | 8,507.7 | 17,776 | (31) | ||||||||||
| USDC | N/A | 9,289 | N/A | 7,839 | 18 | ||||||||||
| Other(1) | nm | 30,487 | nm | 54,007 | (44) | ||||||||||
| Total | $ | 294,432 | $ | 327,510 | (10) |
__________________
nm - not meaningful
(1)Includes various other crypto asset and payment stablecoin balances, none of which individually represented more than 5% of total AOP.
AOP at March 31, 2026 decreased as compared to March 31, 2025, primarily reflecting a $67.4 billion aggregate decline in prices of most assets, offset in part by growth attributable to units, primarily Bitcoin.
Trading Volume
We define Trading Volume as the total U.S. dollar equivalent value of spot matched trades transacted between a buyer and seller through our platform, plus half of the trade value of spot trades that are routed off our platform for fulfillment, during the period of measurement. Trading Volume does not include volume from other trading products, such as derivatives, equities, or event contracts, but may in the future as those become more material. Trading Volume represents the product of the quantity of assets transacted and the trade price at the time the transaction was executed. As trading activity directly impacts transaction revenue, we believe this measure is a reflection of liquidity on our order books, trading health, and the underlying growth of the onchain economy. Institutions incur lower fees per transaction than consumers and, as a result, the impact of changes in consumer Trading Volume on transaction revenue is more pronounced than the impact of changes in institutional Trading Volume. Within consumer, Advanced traders incur lower fees per transaction than Simple traders, and therefore a shift in the mix of trading between these consumers impacts transaction revenue.
Generally, Trading Volume is primarily influenced by overall market dynamics, namely the price of crypto assets, crypto asset volatility, and macroeconomic conditions, and by our share of total crypto market spot trading volume. In periods of high crypto asset prices and crypto asset volatility, we have generally experienced correspondingly high levels of Trading Volume. In recent quarters, we have also seen market events, product announcements, paid incentives, and competition as influential factors. Trading activity generally directly impacts transaction revenue. However, during periods when new products or markets are being introduced or entered, associated Trading Volume may not directly impact revenue within the same period, or may impact it indirectly.
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| Three Months Ended March 31, | Change | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 2025 | % | |||||||||||
| Trading Volume(1) (in billions) | |||||||||||||
| Consumer | $ | 36 | $ | 79 | (54) | ||||||||
| Institutional | 166 | 322 | (48) | ||||||||||
| Total Trading Volume | $ | 202 | $ | 401 | (50) | ||||||||
| Trading Volume by crypto asset | |||||||||||||
| Bitcoin | 40 | % | 27 | % | 48 | ||||||||
| Ethereum | 19 | 11 | 73 | ||||||||||
| XRP | 9 | 11 | (18) | ||||||||||
| USDT | 2 | 13 | (85) | ||||||||||
| Other crypto assets(2) | 30 | 38 | (21) | ||||||||||
| Total | 100 | % | 100 | % |
____________________________________
(1)During the fourth quarter of 2025, we redefined Trading Volume to add half of the trade value of spot trades that are routed off our platform for fulfillment, in order to provide a more comprehensive view of Trading Volume that drives our transaction revenue. Prior period amounts have been recast to conform to the current period’s definition.
(2)Inc
[Excerpt truncated for page length; source filing is linked above.]
Latest 10-K MD&A
ITEM 7. MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
The following discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations should be read in conjunction with our Consolidated Financial Statements and the accompanying notes thereto included elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. The following discussion and analysis contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties, as well as assumptions that, if they never materialize or prove incorrect, could cause our results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause or contribute to these differences include, but are not limited to, those identified below and those discussed in the section titled Risk Factors in Part I, Item 1A of this Annual Report on Form 10-K. Unless otherwise expressly stated or the context otherwise requires, references to “we,” “our,” “us,” “the Company,” and “Coinbase” refer to Coinbase Global, Inc. and its consolidated subsidiaries. For all narrative provided in this Item 7, two numbers presented consecutively represent figures for the year ended December 31, 2025 as compared to the year ended December 31, 2024, respectively, unless otherwise noted. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations for the year ended December 31, 2024 as compared to the year ended December 31, 2023 can be found in Item 7 of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2024, as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on February 13, 2025, which is incorporated by reference herein.
Executive Overview
This executive overview of Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations highlights selected information and does not contain all of the information that is important to readers of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
During 2025, we continued to make progress towards our mission by expanding access to trading through innovative derivative products, listing more spot assets, and expanding our offerings in markets globally. We completed the acquisition of Deribit in August, which we believe will play a key role in our goal to be the premier global platform for crypto derivatives, and we launched U.S. perpetual-style futures. Stablecoin adoption is accelerating. USDC reached an all-time high in market capitalization, as did USDC held in Coinbase products. We are scaling payments infrastructure, expanding distribution with new partnerships, and extending utility for everyday spending with the Coinbase One Card.
For the year ended December 31, 2025, our net revenue was $6.9 billion, including $4.1 billion in transaction revenue and $2.8 billion in subscription and services revenue. For the year ended December 31, 2024, our net revenue was $6.3 billion, including $4.0 billion in transaction revenue and $2.3 billion in subscription and services revenue.
For the year ended December 31, 2025, our net income was $1.3 billion and Adjusted EBITDA was $2.8 billion. For the year ended December 31, 2024, our net income was $2.6 billion and Adjusted EBITDA was $3.3 billion.
For 2026, with growing regulatory clarity, we believe we are well-positioned to drive crypto’s role in global GDP through the Everything Exchange and by advancing stablecoin adoption with USDC, including scaling payments. We are working to further grow assets on our platform, and in turn revenue, as customers discover and adopt more products where their assets already reside. Despite multiple Federal Funds Rate decreases in late 2024 and 2025, future interest rate decreases are not certain. If interest rates continue to decline, they may materially impact our subscription and services and other revenue. We plan to dynamically adjust our expense base in order to be responsive to market conditions and revenue opportunities, increasing or decreasing it as needed, especially with respect to certain variable expenses. In the first quarter of 2026, we expect the aggregate of technology and development and general and administrative expenses to generally be in line with that of the fourth quarter of 2025. Additionally, we expect sales and marketing expenses to be roughly in line with or lower than those of the fourth quarter of 2025, reflecting the anticipated timing and scope of marketing opportunities.
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Key Business Metrics
In addition to the measures presented in our Consolidated Financial Statements, we use the key business metrics listed below to evaluate our business, measure our performance, identify trends affecting our business, and make strategic decisions:
| Year Ended December 31, | Change | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2024 | % | |||||||||||||
| MTUs(1) (in millions) | 9.2 | 8.4 | 10 | ||||||||||||
| Assets on Platform(2) (in billions) | $ | 376 | $ | 404 | (7) | ||||||||||
| Trading Volume(3) (in billions) | $ | 1,221 | $ | 1,189 | 3 | ||||||||||
| Net income (in millions) | $ | 1,260 | $ | 2,579 | (51) | ||||||||||
| Adjusted EBITDA(4) (in millions) | $ | 2,808 | $ | 3,348 | (16) |
_____________
(1)Represents the annual average MTUs, calculated as the average of quarterly MTUs, which are derived from the average of each month’s MTUs in each respective quarter.
(2)Represents Assets on Platform as of December 31.
(3)Represents the total U.S. Dollar equivalent of Spot Trading Volume transacted through our platform. During the fourth quarter of 2025, we redefined Trading Volume to add half of the trade value of spot trades that are routed off our platform for fulfillment, in order to provide a more comprehensive view of Trading Volume that drives our transaction revenue. Prior period amounts have been recast to conform to the current period’s definition.
(4)See Non-GAAP Financial Measure below for a reconciliation of net income to Adjusted EBITDA and an explanation for why we consider Adjusted EBITDA to be a helpful metric for investors.
Monthly Transacting Users
We define a Monthly Transacting User (“MTU”) as a consumer who actively or passively transacts in one or more products on our platform at least once during the rolling 28-day period ending on the date of measurement. MTUs engage in transactions that generate transaction revenue or subscription and services revenue. Revenue-generating transactions include active transactions, such as buying or selling crypto assets or passive transactions such as earning staking rewards and USDC rewards. MTUs also engage in transactions that are non-revenue generating, such as consumers sending and receiving crypto assets between wallets and off-platform accounts on a non-expedited basis. MTUs may overstate the number of unique consumers due to differences in product architecture or user behavior.
MTUs increased for the year ended December 31, 2025 as compared to 2024, primarily due to an increase in users participating in rewards programs, by holding USDC or staking their assets, influenced by deeper integration of USDC across our products and expanded staking services.
Assets on Platform
We define Assets on Platform (“AOP”) as the total United States (“U.S.”) dollar equivalent value of crypto assets and payment stablecoins held or managed on behalf of customers in digital wallets on our platform, including our custody services but excluding assets for which the customer holds full or partial keys, calculated based on the market price on the date of measurement. AOP demonstrates the scale of balances held across our suite of products and services, the trust customers place in us to securely store their assets, and the underlying growth of the onchain economy. AOP also represents a monetization opportunity through our products and services, including from trading and the adoption and use of payment stablecoins, staking, custody, and institutional financing, when customers use these assets to engage with these products and services.
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The following table sets forth the value of AOP by asset (in millions, except percentages):
| December 31, | Change | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2024 | % | |||||||
| Bitcoin | $ | 252,803 | $ | 235,378 | 7 | ||||
| Ethereum | 56,229 | 54,209 | 4 | ||||||
| XRP | 17,233 | 16,501 | 4 | ||||||
| Solana | 13,319 | 21,298 | (37) | ||||||
| USDC | 9,261 | 6,091 | 52 | ||||||
| Other crypto assets and payment stablecoins(1) | 27,284 | 70,557 | (61) | ||||||
| Total | $ | 376,129 | $ | 404,034 | (7) |
__________________
(1)Includes various other crypto asset and payment stablecoin balances, none of which individually represented more than 5% of total AOP.
AOP at December 31, 2025 decreased as compared to December 31, 2024, primarily reflecting a $77.0 billion aggregate decline in prices of most assets, offset in part by growth attributable to units, primarily Bitcoin.
Trading Volume
We define Trading Volume as the total U.S. dollar equivalent value of spot matched trades transacted between a buyer and seller through our platform, plus half of the value of trades that we routed off our platform for fulfillment, during the period of measurement. Trading Volume does not include volume from other trading products, such as derivatives, equities, or event contracts, but may in the future as those become more material. Trading Volume represents the product of the quantity of assets transacted and the trade price at the time the transaction was executed. As trading activity directly impacts transaction revenue, we believe this measure is a reflection of liquidity on our order books, trading health, and the underlying growth of the onchain economy. Institutions incur lower fees per transaction than consumers and, as a result, the impact of changes in consumer Trading Volume on transaction revenue is more pronounced than the impact of changes in institutional Trading Volume. Within consumer, Advanced traders incur lower fees per transaction than Simple traders, and therefore a shift in the mix of trading between these consumers impacts transaction revenue.
Generally, Trading Volume is primarily influenced by overall market dynamics, namely the price of crypto assets, crypto asset volatility, and macroeconomic conditions, and by our share of total crypto market spot trading volume. In periods of high crypto asset prices and crypto asset volatility, we have generally experienced correspondingly high levels of Trading Volume. In recent quarters, we have also seen market events, product announcements, paid incentives, and competition as influential factors. Trading activity generally directly impacts transaction revenue. However, during periods when new products or markets are being introduced or entered, associated trading volume may not directly impact revenue within the same period, or may impact it indirectly.
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| Year Ended December 31, | Change | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2024 | % | |||||||||||
| Trading Volume(1) (in billions) | |||||||||||||
| Consumer | $ | 239 | $ | 224 | 7 | ||||||||
| Institutional | 982 | 965 | 2 | ||||||||||
| Total Trading Volume | $ | 1,221 | $ | 1,189 | 3 | ||||||||
| Trading Volume by crypto asset | |||||||||||||
| Bitcoin | 29 | % | 33 | % | (12) | ||||||||
| Ethereum | 16 | 13 | 23 | ||||||||||
| USDT | 6 | 12 | (50) | ||||||||||
| Other crypto assets(2) | 49 | 42 | 17 | ||||||||||
| Total | 100 | % | 100 | % |
____________________________________
(1)During the fourth quarter of 2025, we redefined Trading Volume to add half of the trade value of spot trades that are routed off our platform for fulfillment, in order to provide a more comprehensive view of Trading Volume that drives our transaction revenue. Prior period amounts have been recast to conform to the current period’s definition.
(2)Includes various other crypto assets, none of which individually represented more than 10% of our total Trading Volume.
For the year ended December 31, 2025 as compared to 2024, Trading Volume increased primarily reflecting an increase of 9% in global crypto market spot trading volume (the USD equivalent value of all matched trades transacted between buyers and sellers across all exchanges), offset in part by a decrease of $101.0 billion attributed to a decline in our share of stablecoin pair market volume driven by an intentional pricing change made in March of 2025 as we evolved our stablecoin strategy.
Results of Operations
Comparison of the years ended December 31, 2025 and 2024
Revenue
For the years ended December 31, 2025 and 2024 we generated 84% and 83%, respectively, of total revenue in the U.S., with no other country contributing over 10%. International revenue comprised mainly transaction revenue.
Transaction revenue
| Year Ended December 31, | Change | ||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (in thousands, except %) | 2025 | 2024 | $ | % | |||||||||||||||||
| Consumer, net | $ | 3,322,835 | $ | 3,430,322 | $ | (107,487) | (3) | ||||||||||||||
| Institutional, net | 479,667 | 345,598 | 134,069 | 39 | |||||||||||||||||
| Other transaction revenue, net | 252,888 | 210,193 | 42,695 | 20 | |||||||||||||||||
| Total transaction revenue | $ | 4,055,390 | $ | 3,986,113 | $ | 69,277 | 2 | ||||||||||||||
| % of net revenue | 59 | 63 |
Transaction revenue increased for the year ended December 31, 2025 as compared to 2024, primarily reflecting:
•a decrease in consumer transaction revenue driven by:
◦a decrease of $384.4 million attributed to a lower average blended fee rate, primarily due to changes in the mix of Trading Volume from Simple users to Advanced and Coinbase One users who pay lower average fees; offset in part by
◦an increase of $277.0 million attributed to a 7% increase in consumer Trading Volume; and
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•an increase in institutional transaction revenue driven by an increase of $152.0 million attributed to derivatives trading, due mainly to the acquisition of Deribit.
There were no material changes to note within other transaction revenue.
The percentage of transaction revenue from spot trading on our platform by crypto asset was as follows:
| Year Ended December 31, | Change | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2024 | % | |||||||||||
| Bitcoin | 27 | % | 30 | % | (10) | ||||||||
| XRP | 14 | 6 | 133 | ||||||||||
| Ethereum | 12 | 13 | (8) | ||||||||||
| Other crypto assets(1) | 47 | 51 | (8) | ||||||||||
| Total | 100 | % | 100 | % |
____________________________________
(1)Includes various other crypto assets, none of which individually represented more than 10% of our total transaction revenue from spot trading on our platform.
Subscription and services revenue
| Year Ended December 31, | Change | ||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (in thousands, except %) | 2025 | 2024 | $ | % | |||||||||||||||||
| Stablecoin revenue | $ | 1,348,821 | $ | 910,464 | $ | 438,357 | 48 | ||||||||||||||
| Blockchain rewards | 677,405 | 705,757 | (28,352) | (4) | |||||||||||||||||
| Interest and finance fee income | 247,047 | 265,799 | (18,752) | (7) | |||||||||||||||||
| Other subscription and services revenue | 554,775 | 425,113 | 129,662 | 31 | |||||||||||||||||
| Total subscription and services revenue | $ | 2,828,048 | $ | 2,307,133 | $ | 520,915 | 23 | ||||||||||||||
| % of net revenue | 41 | 37 |
Subscription and services revenue increased for the year ended December 31, 2025 as compared to 2024, reflecting:
•increases in stablecoin revenue of:
◦$417.7 million due to higher average USDC balances held in Coinbase products1; and
◦$314.1 million due to higher average USDC off-platform balances; offset in part by
◦a decrease of $290.8 million due to lower average interest rates, which declined 89 basis points; and
•an increase in other subscription and services revenue, primarily due to a higher number of Coinbase One paid subscribers.
There were no material changes to note within blockchain rewards or interest and finance fee income.
Other revenue
| Year Ended December 31, | Change | ||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (in thousands, except %) | 2025 | 2024 | $ | % | |||||||||||||||||
| Corporate interest and other income | $ | 297,887 | $ | 270,782 | $ | 27,105 | 10 | ||||||||||||||
| Total other revenue | $ | 297,887 | $ | 270,782 | $ | 27,105 | 10 |
1 Includes corporate USDC balances and USDC held on behalf of customers in eligible Coinbase products.
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Other revenue increased for the year ended December 31, 2025 as compared to 2024, largely reflecting an increase of $85.3 million due to higher average cash and cash equivalents balances, offset by lower average interest rates earned on these balances, which declined 89 basis points.
Operating expenses
Certain prior period amounts have been reclassified to conform to the current period presentation.
Transaction expense
| Year Ended December 31, | Change | ||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (in thousands, except %) | 2025 | 2024 | $ | % | |||||||||||||||||
| Blockchain rewards fees | $ | 427,506 | $ | 455,946 | $ | (28,440) | (6) | ||||||||||||||
| Transaction rebates and commissions | 221,471 | 122,372 | 99,099 | 81 | |||||||||||||||||
| Payment processing and account verification | 194,587 | 150,897 | 43,690 | 29 | |||||||||||||||||
| Transaction reversal losses | 132,671 | 79,639 | 53,032 | 67 | |||||||||||||||||
| Other | 43,995 | 88,853 | (44,858) | (50) | |||||||||||||||||
| Total transaction expense | $ | 1,020,230 | $ | 897,707 | $ | 122,523 | 14 | ||||||||||||||
| % of net revenue | 15 | 14 |
Transaction expense increased for the year ended December 31, 2025 as compared to 2024, reflecting:
•higher transaction rebates and commissions, primarily those earned by institutional customers providing liquidity on our international exchange, driven by growth in volume; and
•an increase in transaction reversal losses primarily driven by higher transaction volume; offset in part by
•a decrease in blockchain transaction fees within other, primarily due to lower average Ethereum gas fees.
There were no material changes to note within blockchain rewards fees or payment processing and account verification.
Technology and development
| Year Ended December 31, | Change | ||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (in thousands, except %) | 2025 | 2024 | $ | % | |||||||||||||||||
| Employee-related | $ | 1,052,597 | $ | 1,036,656 | $ | 15,941 | 2 | ||||||||||||||
| Website hosting and infrastructure | 322,125 | 228,392 | 93,733 | 41 | |||||||||||||||||
| Amortization, depreciation, and impairment | 157,067 | 122,595 | 34,472 | 28 | |||||||||||||||||
| Other | 138,816 | 80,609 | 58,207 | 72 | |||||||||||||||||
| Total technology and development | $ | 1,670,605 | $ | 1,468,252 | $ | 202,353 | 14 | ||||||||||||||
| % of net revenue | 24 | 23 |
Technology and development expenses increased for the year ended December 31, 2025 as compared to 2024, reflecting:
•changes in employee-related expenses driven by higher average headcount supporting international expansion and new product initiatives, offset in part by lower stock-based compensation expense (see Note 16. Stock-Based Compensation of the Notes to our Consolidated Financial Statements included in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K for additional details) primarily associated with non-recurring awards; and
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•an increase in website hosting and infrastructure expenses driven by initiatives to increase capacity and scalability to support activity on our platform.
There were no material changes to note within amortization, depreciation, and impairment, or other.
Sales and marketing
| Year Ended December 31, | Change | ||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (in thousands, except %) | 2025 | 2024 | $ | % | |||||||||||||||||
| USDC rewards | $ | 441,347 | $ | 224,255 | 217,092 | 97 | |||||||||||||||
| Marketing programs | 402,555 | 247,087 | 155,468 | 63 | |||||||||||||||||
| Employee-related | 136,229 | 151,036 | (14,807) | (10) | |||||||||||||||||
| Other | 78,446 | 32,066 | 46,380 | 145 | |||||||||||||||||
| Total sales and marketing | $ | 1,058,577 | $ | 654,444 | $ | 404,133 | 62 | ||||||||||||||
| % of net revenue | 15 | 10 |
Sales and marketing expenses increased for the year ended December 31, 2025 as compared to 2024, primarily due to:
•an increase in USDC rewards primarily reflecting growth in average customer USDC balances held in Coinbase products2 as we continue to integrate USDC across our products; and
•an increase in marketing program expenses largely due to higher digital advertising and brand spend, including corporate sponsorships and go-to-market efforts.
There were no material changes to note within employee-related or other.
General and administrative
| Year Ended December 31, | Change | ||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (in thousands, except %) | 2025 | 2024 | $ | % | |||||||||||||||||
| Employee-related | $ | 664,761 | $ | 606,554 | $ | 58,207 | 10 | ||||||||||||||
| Professional services | 292,599 | 202,956 | 89,643 | 44 | |||||||||||||||||
| Customer support(1) | 224,193 | 124,940 | 99,253 | 79 | |||||||||||||||||
| Other | 438,089 | 365,807 | 72,282 | 20 | |||||||||||||||||
| Total general and administrative | $ | 1,619,642 | $ | 1,300,257 | $ | 319,385 | 25 | ||||||||||||||
| % of net revenue | 24 | 21 |
____________________________________
(1)Excludes employee-related and professional services expenses.
General and administrative expenses increased for the year ended December 31, 2025 as compared to 2024, primarily due to:
•an increase in employee-related expenses primarily due to higher average headcount;
•an increase in professional services due to increased use of legal advisory services, including those relating to business combinations and strategic investments; and
•an increase in customer support costs as a result of increased capacity needs and enhancement of our customer service function.
There were no material changes to note within other.
2 Comprises USDC held on behalf of customers in eligible Coinbase products.
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Losses (gains) on crypto assets held for operations, net
| Year Ended December 31, | Change | ||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (in thousands, except %) | 2025 | 2024 | $ | % | |||||||||||||||||
| Losses (gains) on crypto assets held for operations, net | $ | 20,704 | $ | (71,725) | $ | 92,429 | (129) |
Changes in losses (gains) on crypto assets held for operations, net resulted primarily from holding these assets during a period of declining crypto asset prices, particularly in the fourth quarter of 2025. Though both gross inflows and outflows of these assets were approximately $1.6 billion and $1.5 billion during the years ended December 31, 2025 and 2024, respectively, gains and losses on changes in the fair value of the assets were limited as these assets are converted to cash or used for expenses nearly immediately after receipt.
Other operating expense, net
| Year Ended December 31, | Change | |||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (in thousands, except %) | 2025 | 2024 | $ | % | ||||||||||||||||||
| Platform-related incidents | $ | 345,210 | $ | 28,070 | $ | 317,140 | nm | |||||||||||||||
| Other | 10,916 | (20,137) | 31,053 | (154) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Total other operating expense, net | $ | 356,126 | $ | 7,933 | $ | 348,193 | nm |
__________________
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Other operating expense, net increased for the year ended December 31, 2025 as compared to 2024, primarily due to losses directly associated with the incident announced on the Current Report on Form 8-K we filed with the SEC on May 15, 2025 (the “Data Theft Incident”), comprising voluntary customer reimbursements and direct legal costs. There were no other material changes to note within other.
Interest expense
| Year Ended December 31, | Change | |||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (in thousands, except %) | 2025 | 2024 | $ | % | ||||||||||||||||||
| Interest expense | $ | 85,413 | $ | 80,645 | $ | 4,768 | 6 |
There were no material changes to note within interest expense.
Losses (gains) on crypto assets held for investment, net
| Year Ended December 31, | Change | |||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (in thousands, except %) | 2025 | 2024 | $ | % | ||||||||||||||||||
| Losses (gains) on crypto assets held for investment, net | $ | 528,857 | $ | (687,055) | $ | 1,215,912 | (177) |
Changes in losses (gains) on crypto assets held for investment, net resulted primarily from fair value remeasurement, particularly in the fourth quarter of 2025, of these assets, mainly Bitcoin and Ethereum. The impact of these changes in fair value expanded beginning late in the first quarter of 2025, as we have actively increased our investment in Bitcoin since then.
Other income, net
| Year Ended December 31, | Change | |||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (in thousands, except %) | 2025 | 2024 | $ | % | ||||||||||||||||||
| (Gains) losses on investments, net | $ | (680,520) | $ | 11,553 | $ | (692,073) | nm | |||||||||||||||
| Other | (20,374) | (40,627) | 20,253 | (50) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Total other income, net | $ | (700,894) | $ | (29,074) | $ | (671,820) | nm |
__________________
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Other income, net changed for the year ended December 31, 2025 as compared to 2024, due to a gain on the sale of a portion of our investment in Circle Internet Group, Inc. and fair value remeasurement of our remaining holding, both resulting from Circle’s initial public offering in June 2025. There were no material changes to note within other.
Provision for income taxes
| Year Ended December 31, | Change | ||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (in thousands, except %) | 2025 | 2024 | $ | % | |||||||||||||||||
| Provision for income taxes | $ | 261,738 | $ | 363,578 | $ | (101,840) | (28) |
For the year ended December 31, 2025 as compared to 2024, the decrease in provision for income taxes was primarily due to lower pretax income, partially offset by lower tax benefits from stock-based compensation.
Non-GAAP Financial Measure
In addition to our results determined in accordance with GAAP, we believe Adjusted EBITDA, a non-GAAP financial performance measure, is useful information to help investors evaluate our operating performance because it: enables investors to compare this measure and component adjustments to similar information provided by peer companies and our past financial performance; provides additional company-specific adjustments for certain items that may be included in income from operations but that we do not consider to be normal, recurring, operating expenses (or income) necessary to operate our business given our operations, revenue generating activities, business strategy, industry, and regulatory environment; and provides investors with visibility to a measure management uses to evaluate our ongoing operations and for internal planning and forecasting purposes. For example:
•We believe it is useful to exclude certain non-cash expenses, such as depreciation and amortization and stock-based compensation, from Adjusted EBITDA because the amounts of such expenses can vary significantly from period to period and may not directly correlate to the underlying performance of our business operations.
•We believe it is useful to exclude certain items that we do not consider to be normal, recurring, cash operating expenses and therefore, not reflective of our ongoing business operations. For example, we exclude: (i) other income, net, as the income and expenses recognized in this line item are not part of our core operating activities and are considered non-operating activities under GAAP, (ii) gains and losses on crypto assets held for investment because such investments are considered primarily long-term holdings, and (iii) losses directly related to the Data Theft Incident, including voluntary customer reimbursements, direct legal costs, and reward payments, if any, in connection with the threat actor’s arrest and conviction. We do not plan on engaging in regular trading of crypto assets, and, as an operating company, our investing activities in crypto are not part of our revenue generating activities, which are primarily based on transactions on our platform and the sales of subscriptions and services.
•We believe Adjusted EBITDA is useful to measure a company’s operating performance without regard to items such as stock-based compensation expense, depreciation and amortization expense, interest expense, other income, net, and provision for income taxes that can vary substantially from company to company depending upon their financing, capital structures, and the method by which assets were acquired.
Limitations of Adjusted EBITDA
We believe that Adjusted EBITDA may be helpful to investors for the reasons noted above. 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
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presented in accordance with GAAP. There are a number of limitations related to Adjusted EBITDA rather than net income (loss), which is the nearest GAAP equivalent of Adjusted EBITDA. Some of these limitations are that Adjusted EBITDA excludes:
•provision for income taxes;
•interest expense, or the cash requirements necessary to service interest or principal payments on our debt, which reduces cash available to us;
•depreciation and amortization expense and, although these are non-cash expenses, the assets being depreciated and amortized may have to be replaced in the future;
•stock-based compensation expense, which has been, and will continue to be for the foreseeable future, a significant recurring expense for our business and an important part of our compensation strategy;
•losses directly related to the Data Theft Incident, net of recoveries;
•net gains or losses on our crypto assets held for investment; and
•other income, net, which represents net gains or losses on investments and other financial instruments, and other non-operating income and expense activity.
In addition, other companies, including companies in our industry, may calculate Adjusted EBITDA differently or may use other measures to evaluate their performance, all of which could reduce the usefulness of our disclosure of Adjusted EBITDA as a tool for comparison. A reconciliation is provided below for Adjusted EBITDA to net income, the most directly comparable financial measure stated in accordance with GAAP. Investors are encouraged to review the related GAAP financial measure and the reconciliation of Adjusted EBITDA to net income, and not to rely on any single financial measure to evaluate our business.
The following table provides a reconciliation of net income to Adjusted EBITDA (in thousands):
| Year Ended December 31, | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2024 | |||||||||
| Net income | $ | 1,260,327 | $ | 2,579,066 | ||||||
| Adjusted to exclude the following: | ||||||||||
| Provision for income taxes | 261,738 | 363,578 | ||||||||
| Interest expense | 85,413 | 80,645 | ||||||||
| Depreciation and amortization | 188,428 | 127,518 | ||||||||
| Stock-based compensation expense | 839,440 | 912,838 | ||||||||
| Data Theft Incident losses, net | 345,179 | — | ||||||||
| Losses (gains) on crypto assets held for investment, net | 528,857 | (687,055) | ||||||||
| Other income, net(1) | (700,894) | (29,074) | ||||||||
| Adjusted EBITDA | $ | 2,808,488 | $ | 3,347,516 |
__________________
(1)See Note 17. Other Consolidated Statements of Operations Details of the Notes to our Consolidated Financial Statements included in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K for additional details.
Liquidity and Capital Resources
We continue to believe our existing cash, cash equivalents, and marketable investments, which totaled $11.6 billion as of December 31, 2025, will be sufficient in both the short and long term to meet our requirements and plans for cash, including meeting our working capital and capital expenditure requirements. Our ability to meet our requirements and plans for cash, including meeting our working capital and capital expenditure requirements, will depend on many factors, including market acceptance of crypto assets and blockchain technology, our growth, our ability to attract and retain customers on our
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platform, the continuing market acceptance of our products and services, the introduction of new subscription products and services on our platform, expansion of sales and marketing activities, and overall economic conditions. We anticipate satisfying both our short-term and long-term cash requirements with our existing cash and cash equivalents and with future cash flows from operations, future sales of marketable investments, and potential future equity or debt financing. The sale of additional equity would result in additional dilution to our shareholders. The incurrence of additional debt financing would result in debt service obligations, and the instruments governing such debt could provide for operating and financing covenants that restrict our operations.
Primary commitments
Long-term debt
As of December 31, 2025, our primary contractual obligation remained long-term debt, of which we held $7.3 billion in aggregate principal amount, including $1.3 billion that is due within the next 12 months and classified as a current liability.
In August 2025, we issued an aggregate principal amount of $1.5 billion convertible senior notes that mature on October 1, 2032, unless converted, repurchased, or redeemed on an earlier date, and an aggregate principal amount of $1.5 billion convertible senior notes that mature on October 1, 2029, unless converted or repurchased on an earlier date. As market conditions warrant, we may, from time to time, repurchase our outstanding long-term debt securities in the open market, in privately negotiated transactions, by exchange transaction, or otherwise. Such repurchases, if any, will depend on prevailing market conditions, our liquidity, and other factors, and may be commenced or suspended at any time. See Note 11. Long-Term Debt of the Notes to our Consolidated Financial Statements included in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K for additional details.
As of December 31, 2025 and 2024, our ratings with S&P Global Ratings were BB- for both issuer credit and senior unsecured debt. In August 2025, Moody’s Ratings announced an upgrade of our ratings from B2 to B1 for corporate family and from B1 to Ba2 for guaranteed senior unsecured notes.
Short-term borrowings
As of December 31, 2025, we also held short-term borrowings of $452.1 million, denominated in crypto assets and payment stablecoins, which we use to facilitate institutional financing. See Note 5. Collateralized Arrangements and Financing of the Notes to our Consolidated Financial Statements included in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K for additional details.
Other contractual obligations
As of December 31, 2025, our other material contractual obligations consisted of the following (in thousands):
| Amounts Due | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Next 12 Months | Total | |||||
| Non-cancelable purchase obligations(1) | $ | 169,886 | $ | 670,422 | ||
| Operating leases(2) | 32,547 | 417,873 | ||||
| Other commitments(3) | 180,493 | 180,493 |
_______________
(1) Committed spend for non-cancellable purchase obligations greater than $2.0 million per obligation, primarily relating to technology. The increase from total purchase obligations of $198.5 million as of December 31, 2024 reflects the renewal of a multi-year technology services agreement.
(2) Primarily relates to corporate offices. The increase from total operating lease commitments of $132.3 million as of December 31, 2024, reflects new office leases in San Francisco, CA and New York, NY.
(3) Represents definitive agreements to acquire interests in entities.
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See Notes 13. Other Consolidated Balance Sheets Details, 18. Income Taxes, and 21. Commitments and Contingencies of the Notes to our Consolidated Financial Statements included in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K for additional details relating to our short- and long-term material cash requirements and contractual obligations as of December 31, 2025.
Repurchase program
As of December 31, 2025, our board of directors had authorized an aggregate $2.0 billion to repurchase, without expiration, our outstanding Class A common stock and long-term debt (the “Repurchase Program”). As of December 31, 2025, approximately $1.2 billion remained available, and no long-term debt has been repurchased under the Repurchase Program. See Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities included in Part II, Item 5 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K for additional details.
Other resources and commitments
Crypto assets
We hold and use crypto assets for various purposes. Crypto assets held for operations are received in the ordinary course of business and are converted to cash or used to fulfill expenses, primarily blockchain rewards, nearly immediately. In order to facilitate institutional financing, we hold crypto assets we borrow, as well as crypto assets customers pledge as collateral against certain of our loans to them. We do not use these assets as a source of liquidity otherwise. Crypto assets held for investment are primarily long-term holdings and in certain cases fulfill capital requirements set by regulators (see also Capital requirements below). We do not plan to engage in regular trading of these crypto assets but may purchase additional crypto assets for investment as a buy and hold strategy. In case of a liquidity stress event, or for other episodic purposes, which may necessitate the use of these assets, we may change our policy and sell crypto assets held for investment to generate liquidity. During times of instability in the crypto assets market, we may not be able to sell our crypto assets at reasonable prices or at all. Our crypto assets held are considered less liquid than our cash and cash equivalents and may not be able to serve as a source of liquidity for us to the same extent as cash and cash equivalents. As of December 31, 2025, we held the following crypto assets: $120.8 million held for operations, $822.8 million held as collateral, $318.8 million that were borrowed, and $2.0 billion held for investment.
Customer assets and liabilities
Recognized customer assets and liabilities comprise customer custodial funds and corresponding customer custodial liabilities that represent our obligation to return these assets to the customers. We also securely store additional customer AOP that we do not recognize in our Consolidated Balance Sheets. We do not use customer assets as collateral for any loan, margin, rehypothecation, or other similar activities to which we or our affiliates are a party, without the customer’s consent.
Our business model does not expose us to liquidity risk if we have excessive redemptions or withdrawals from customers. As of December 31, 2025, we have not experienced excessive redemptions or withdrawals, or prolonged suspended redemptions or withdrawals, of crypto assets to date. See Risk Factors—Depositing and withdrawing crypto assets into and from our platform involves risks, which could result in loss of customer assets, customer disputes and other liabilities, which could adversely affect our business, operating results, and financial condition included in Part I, Item 1A of this Annual Report on Form 10-K for further information.
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Cash flows
The following table summarizes our Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows (in thousands):
| Year Ended December 31, | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2024 | |||||
| Net cash provided by operating activities | $ | 2,426,383 | $ | 3,103,935 | ||
| Net cash used in investing activities | (2,049,550) | (201,003) | ||||
| Net cash provided by financing activities | 740,282 | 2,903,078 | ||||
| Net increase in cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash and cash equivalents | $ | 1,117,115 | $ | 5,806,010 | ||
| Change in customer custodial cash and cash equivalents | $ | (754,370) | $ | 1,634,934 |
Operating activities
Our largest source of cash provided by operating activities are revenues generated from transaction fees. Our primary uses of cash in operating activities include payments to employees for compensation, marketing programs, website hosting and infrastructure services, and professional services.
Net cash provided by operating activities decreased by $677.6 million for the year ended December 31, 2025 as compared to 2024 primarily due to:
•$311.2 million in cash used in 2025 related to the Data Theft Incident, for which impacted customers were voluntarily reimbursed; and
•an overall increase in other cash and cash equivalent expenses as we continue to grow our business; offset in part by
•cash and cash equivalents provided as a result of the $617.3 million increase in total revenue.
Investing activities
Net cash used in investing activities increased by $1.8 billion for the year ended December 31, 2025 as compared to 2024 as we invested more of our available cash and cash equivalents, including:
•$742.0 million in net cash and cash equivalents used for business combinations in 2025, primarily due to the completion of the Deribit acquisition in August;
•a $578.0 million increase in cash and cash equivalents used for net purchases of crypto assets held for investment; and
•a $614.0 million increase in cash and cash equivalents used for the origination of fiat and payment stablecoin loans, net of repayments, reflecting higher demand for institutional financing products.
Financing activities
Net cash provided by financing activities decreased by $2.2 billion for the year ended December 31, 2025 as compared to 2024 primarily due to:
•a $2.6 billion decrease in customer custodial funds;
•$790.2 million in cash used to repurchase approximately 3.0 million shares of our outstanding Class A common stock; and
•a $285.6 million decrease in cash used to pay taxes related to net share settlement of equity awards; offset in part by
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•a $1.6 billion net increase in proceeds from long-term debt, driven by the August 2025 issuance of our 2029 Convertible Notes and 2032 Convertible Notes, offset in part by prior year proceeds from the issuance of our 2030 Convertible Notes, less cash paid for associated capped calls.
Capital requirements
We are a highly regulated business subject to regulations on how we manage our liquidity, operations, and capital structure. As our primary operating subsidiary, Coinbase Inc. (“CB Inc.”) is subject to the most significant capital requirements, we seek to minimize surplus capital at other subsidiaries and hold surplus at CB Inc. See Business—Government Regulation and Risk Factors included in Part I, Item 1 and 1A, respectively, of this Annual Report on Form 10-K for additional details about these regulations.
We are required to hold corporate liquid assets at our subsidiaries to meet capital requirements established by our regulators based on the value of crypto assets and payment stablecoins held in custody. Our money-transmitting subsidiary, CB Inc., and our custodian subsidiary, Coinbase Custody Trust Company, LLC (“CCTC”), which is a fiduciary under New York State Law and a qualified custodian under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, are required to maintain minimum net capital requirements under agreements with the New York State Department of Financial Services (“NYDFS”). These subsidiaries and other subsidiaries are also subject to maintenance capital requirements by other regulators both within the United States and internationally. As of December 31, 2025, we were in compliance with these capital requirements.
As of December 31, 2025, our net capital requirements by subsidiary consisted of the following (in millions):
| Net Capital | Required Net Capital(1) | Capital Surplus | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CB Inc. | $ | 2,795 | $ | 1,166 | $ | 1,629 | |||||
| CCTC | 745 | 336 | 409 | ||||||||
| Other(2) | 687 | 74 | 613 |
(1)Depending on the agreement between the subsidiary and the regulator, may include corporate holdings of cash and cash equivalents, Bitcoin, and Ethereum. Due to the volatility of crypto assets, Net Capital and Required Net Capital can fluctuate.
(2)Includes subsidiaries that are subject to requirements from regulators that allow for the intermediation of customer orders in derivatives markets or the operation of a regulated marketplace for the trading of such contracts.
Critical Accounting Estimates
Our Consolidated Financial Statements and the related notes included elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K are prepared in accordance with GAAP. The preparation of our Consolidated Financial Statements also requires us to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenue, costs, and expenses and related disclosures. We base our estimates on historical experience and on various other assumptions that we believe to be reasonable under the circumstances. Actual results could differ significantly from our estimates. To the extent that there are differences between our estimates and actual results, our future financial statement presentation, financial condition, operating results, and cash flows will be affected.
See Note 2. Summary of Significant Accounting Policies of the Notes to our Consolidated Financial Statements included in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K for a summary of significant accounting policies and significant estimates and assumptions and their effects on our financial statements. Below are the significant estimates and assumptions that we consider critical because they involve a significant amount of estimation uncertainty and have had or are reasonably likely to have a material impact on our financial condition or results of operations.
Business combinations, goodwill, and intangible assets
We determined that business combinations, goodwill, and intangible assets represent critical accounting estimates, as they involve significant judgment, estimates, and assumptions and to the extent
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that our estimates and assumptions materially change or if actual circumstances differ from those in the assumptions, our financial statements could be materially impacted.
We account for our business combinations using the acquisition method of accounting, which requires, among other things, allocation of the fair value of purchase consideration to the tangible and intangible assets acquired and liabilities assumed at their estimated fair values on the acquisition date. When determining the fair value of assets acquired and liabilities assumed, we make significant estimates and assumptions, especially with respect to non-crypto intangible assets. These intangible assets do not have observable prices and have primarily consisted of customer relationships, developed technology, licenses, trademarks and trade names, and non-compete agreements, which are subsequently measured at acquisition date fair value, less accumulated amortization. These estimates and assumptions can include, but are not limited to, the cash flows that an asset is expected to generate in the future, the appropriate weighted-average cost of capital, and the estimated useful lives. Changes in these assumptions could affect the carrying value of these assets. Our estimates of fair value are based upon assumptions believed to be reasonable, but which are inherently uncertain and, as a result, actual results may differ from estimates.
Goodwill
We perform an impairment test annually in the fourth quarter or whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying value of goodwill might not be fully recoverable. In accordance with applicable accounting guidance, a company can assess qualitative factors to determine whether it is necessary to perform a goodwill impairment test. Alternatively, a company may elect to proceed directly to a quantitative goodwill impairment test. We do the former and assess qualitative factors to determine whether it is necessary to perform a goodwill impairment test. We review factors including changes in our stock price, macroeconomic conditions, industry and market conditions, cost factors, overall financial performance, changes in any key personnel, and any changes in the composition of the carrying amount of our assets. There were no changes to the qualitative factors considered indicating an impairment of goodwill for the reporting periods presented. In the future, if there are material changes in the underlying estimates and assumptions pertaining to the impairment assessment, our financial statements could be materially impacted. For the reporting periods presented, we determined that it was more likely than not that the fair value of our reporting unit was more than the respective related carrying amounts, including goodwill, and therefore we did not record any goodwill impairment.
Intangible assets
Intangible assets are initially valued at fair value using generally accepted valuation methods appropriate for the type of intangible asset. Intangible assets with definite lives are amortized over their estimated useful lives and are reviewed for impairment if indicators of impairment arise. Intangible assets assessed as having indefinite lives are not amortized, but are assessed for indicators that the useful life is no longer indefinite or for indicators of impairment each period. Indicators we review, as applicable, include whether there has been a significant adverse change in the extent or manner in which our assets are being used, a significant adverse change in legal factors affecting our assets, customer attrition, and/or a cash flow loss. Due to the dynamic nature of our business and the regulatory environment in which we operate, it is not practicable to model sensitivity of the valuation of these assets to these factors. Each reporting period, we evaluate the estimated remaining useful life of our intangible assets and whether events or changes in circumstances warrant a revision to the remaining period of amortization. We did not identify indicators of impairment of our intangible assets during the reporting periods presented. In the future, if there are material changes in the underlying estimates and assumptions pertaining to the impairment assessment, our financial statements could be materially impacted.
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Investments
Strategic investments
We hold strategic investments in primarily privately held companies in the form of equity securities without readily determinable fair values in which we do not have a controlling interest or significant influence. The vast majority of these investments are accounted for under the measurement alternative method (“the measurement alternative”) and are measured at cost, less impairment, subject to upward and downward adjustments resulting from observable price changes for identical or similar investments of the same issuer (“pricing adjustments”). We determined that valuation of privately-held strategic investments represents a critical accounting estimate because impairment evaluations involve significant judgment, estimates, and assumptions, and to the extent that these estimates and assumptions change materially or if actual circumstances differ from those in the assumptions, our financial statements could be materially impacted.
Impairment
Privately-held strategic investments are evaluated quarterly for impairment. Our qualitative analysis includes a review of indicators such as: operating results when available, business prospects of the investees, changes in the regulatory and macroeconomic environment, observable price changes in similar transactions, and general market conditions of the geographical area or industry in which our investees operate. If indicators of impairment exist, we prepare quantitative measurements of the fair value of our equity investments using an Option-Pricing Model that uses publicly available market data of comparable companies and other unobservable inputs including expected volatility, expected time to liquidity, adjustments for other company-specific developments, and the rights and obligations of the securities we hold. When the quantitative remeasurements of fair value indicate an impairment exists, we write down the investment to its current fair value.
We anticipate volatility to our net income (loss) in future periods due to changes in the fair values associated with these investments and changes in observable prices and similar transactions that could impact our fair value assessments. Based on future market conditions, these changes could be material to our financial statements. For more information regarding these market conditions and related sensitivity, see Marketable and Strategic Investments—Strategic investments included in Part II, Item 7A of this Annual Report on Form 10-K. See Note 14. Fair Value Measurements of the Notes to our Consolidated Financial Statements included in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K for details of changes in our strategic investments for the years ended December 31, 2025 and 2024.
Income taxes
We determined that income taxes involve critical accounting estimates because management makes significant estimates, assumptions, and judgments to determine our provision for income taxes, deferred tax assets and liabilities, and any valuation allowance recorded against deferred tax assets, and to the extent that our estimates and assumptions materially change, or if actual circumstances differ materially from those in the assumptions, our financial statements could be materially impacted.
We utilize the asset and liability method for computing our income tax provision. Deferred tax assets and liabilities reflect the expected future consequences of temporary differences between the financial reporting and tax bases of assets and liabilities as well as operating loss, capital loss, and tax credit carryforwards, using enacted tax rates. We assess the likelihood that our deferred tax assets will be recovered from future taxable income and, to the extent we believe that recovery is not likely, we establish a valuation allowance. Assessing the need for a valuation allowance requires a great deal of judgment and we consider all available evidence, both positive and negative, to determine whether it is more likely than not that our deferred tax assets are recoverable. We evaluate all available evidence including, but not limited to, history of earnings and losses, forecasts of future taxable income, and the weight of evidence that can be objectively verified. See Note 18. Income Taxes of the Notes to our Consolidated
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Financial Statements included in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K for details of changes in our valuation allowance for the years ended December 31, 2025, 2024, and 2023.
We recognize the tax benefit from an uncertain tax position only if it is more likely than not the tax position will be sustained on examination by the taxing authorities, based on the technical merits of the position. The tax benefits recognized from such positions are then measured based on the largest benefit that has a greater than 50% likelihood of being realized upon settlement. Interest and penalties related to unrecognized tax benefits are recognized within the provision for income taxes. See Note 18. Income Taxes of the Notes to our Consolidated Financial Statements included in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K for details of changes in unrecognized tax benefits for the years ended December 31, 2025, 2024, and 2023.
For U.S. federal tax purposes, crypto asset transactions are treated under the same tax principles as property transactions. We recognize a gain or loss when crypto assets are exchanged for other property, in the amount of the difference between the fair market value of the property received and the tax basis of the exchanged crypto assets. Receipts of crypto assets in exchange for goods or services are included in taxable income at the fair market value on the date of receipt.
Legal and other contingencies
We are subject to various legal proceedings and claims that arise in the ordinary course of business, the outcomes of which are inherently uncertain, and such uncertainty may be enhanced due to the industry in which we operate. We record a liability when it is probable that a loss has been incurred and the amount is reasonably estimable, the determination of which requires significant judgment. In addition, we record recoveries of these losses when it is probable that they will be collected. These estimates are highly sensitive to change and involve variables that are not completely within our control nor practicable to model, including decisions made by regulators and settlement negotiations. Resolution of legal and other contingencies in a manner inconsistent with management’s expectations could have a material impact on our financial condition and results of operations. See Results of operations—Comparison of the years ended December 31, 2025 and 2024—Operating expenses—General and administrative above for discussion of material changes in legal and other contingencies during the years ended December 31, 2025 and 2024.
Recent accounting pronouncements
See Note 2. Summary of Significant Accounting Policies—Recent accounting pronouncements of the Notes to our Consolidated Financial Statements included in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K for a discussion about new accounting pronouncements adopted and not yet adopted as of the date of this report.
MD&A history
Prior-year 10-K MD&A spans are extracted from SEC filings with the same bounded parser used for the latest filing. The latest 10-K appears above; prior years are below.
FY 2024 10-K MD&A
SEC filing source: 0001679788-25-000022.
ITEM 7. MANAGEMENT'S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
The following discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations should be read in conjunction with our Consolidated Financial Statements and the accompanying notes thereto included elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. The following discussion and analysis contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties, as well as assumptions that, if they never materialize or prove incorrect, could cause our results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause or contribute to these differences include, but are not limited to, those identified below and those discussed in the section titled Risk Factors in Part I, Item 1A of this Annual Report on Form 10-K. Unless otherwise expressly stated or the context otherwise requires, references to “we,” “our,” “us,” “the Company,” and “Coinbase” refer to Coinbase Global, Inc. and its consolidated subsidiaries. For all narrative provided in this Item 7, two numbers presented consecutively represent figures for the year ended December 31, 2024 as compared to the year ended December 31, 2023, respectively, unless otherwise noted. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations for the year ended December 31, 2023 as compared to the year ended December 31, 2022 can be found in Item 7 of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2023, as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on February 15, 2024, which is incorporated by reference herein.
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Executive Overview
This executive overview of Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations highlights selected information and does not contain all of the information that is important to readers of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
During 2024, we made progress against our goals of driving revenue growth, crypto utility, and regulatory clarity. We advanced the crypto economy by deepening institutional adoption, scaling international growth, and expanding real-world utility. Our investments in core products like derivatives and Coinbase One, as well as our focus on global expansion drove revenue growth, while innovations such as USDC rewards showcased the power of onchain finance.
For the year ended December 31, 2024, our net revenue was $6.3 billion, including $4.0 billion in transaction revenue and $2.3 billion in subscription and services revenue. For the year ended December 31, 2023, our net revenue was $2.9 billion, including $1.5 billion in transaction revenue and $1.4 billion in subscription and services revenue.
For the year ended December 31, 2024, our net income was $2.6 billion and Adjusted EBITDA was $3.3 billion. For the year ended December 31, 2023, our net income was $0.1 billion and Adjusted EBITDA was $1.0 billion.
For 2025, we believe that we are well-positioned to drive revenue growth across all macroeconomic environments, and we remain committed to advancing regulatory clarity. Despite multiple Federal Funds Rate decreases in late 2024, future interest rate decreases are not certain. If they continue, they may materially impact our subscription and services and other revenue. We plan to dynamically adjust our expense base in order to be responsive to market conditions and revenue opportunities, increasing or decreasing it as needed, especially with respect to certain variable expenses. In the first quarter of 2025, we expect technology and development and general and administrative expenses to grow modestly as compared to the fourth quarter of 2024, primarily due to headcount growth and variable infrastructure and customer support expenses. Additionally, we expect sales and marketing expenses to grow, as compared to the fourth quarter of 2024, primarily due to expected higher USDC rewards expense and variable non-brand marketing spend.
Key Business Metrics
In addition to the measures presented in our Consolidated Financial Statements, we use the key business metrics listed below to evaluate our business, measure our performance, identify trends affecting our business, and make strategic decisions:
| Year Ended December 31, | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 2023 | % | |||||||
| MTUs(1) (in millions) | 8.4 | 7.4 | 14 | ||||||
| Assets on Platform(2) (in billions) | $ | 404 | $ | 191 | 112 | ||||
| Trading Volume (in billions) | $ | 1,162 | $ | 468 | 148 | ||||
| Net income (in millions) | $ | 2,579 | $ | 95 | nm | ||||
| Adjusted EBITDA(3) (in millions) | $ | 3,348 | $ | 978 | 242 |
_____________
nm - not meaningful
(1)Represents the annual average MTUs, calculated as the average of quarterly MTUs, which are derived from the average of each month’s MTUs in each respective quarter. Quarterly MTUs for the fourth quarter of 2024 and 2023, were 9.7 million and 7.0 million, respectively.
(2)Represents Assets on Platform at December 31.
(3)In the first quarter of 2024, we revised our definition of Adjusted EBITDA and recast the prior period for comparability. See the section titled “Non-GAAP Financial Measure” below for a reconciliation of net income to Adjusted EBITDA and an explanation for why we consider Adjusted EBITDA to be a helpful metric for investors.
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Monthly Transacting Users
We define a Monthly Transacting User (“MTU”) as a consumer who actively or passively transacts in one or more products on our platform at least once during the rolling 28-day period ending on the date of measurement. MTUs engage in transactions that generate both transaction revenue and subscription and services revenue. Revenue-generating transactions include active transactions, such as buying or selling crypto assets or passive transactions such as earning staking rewards and USDC rewards. MTUs also engage in transactions that are non-revenue generating, such as consumers sending and receiving crypto assets between wallets and off-platform accounts on a non-expedited basis. MTUs may overstate the number of unique consumers due to differences in product architecture or user behavior.
MTUs increased for the year ended December 31, 2024 as compared to 2023, primarily due to a 1.3 million increase in trading users, influenced by overall crypto market sentiment and activity and higher average crypto asset prices. Additionally, we saw growth in users participating in our USDC rewards programs, offset in part by a decrease in staking only users as a result of updates we made to our staking service.
Assets on Platform
As a result of our decision to adopt SAB 122 as of December 31, 2024 on a retrospective basis, we will include an Assets on Platform (“AOP”) key business metric going forward to expand upon the details of the assets we are obligated to securely store.
We define AOP as the total United States (“U.S.”) dollar equivalent value of USDC and crypto assets held or managed on behalf of customers in digital wallets on our platform, including our custody services but excluding assets for which the customer holds full or partial keys, calculated based on the market price on the date of measurement. Prior to SAB 122 adoption, SAB 121 safeguarding amounts included assets for which customers held full or partial keys. As customers are in control of those assets, we exclude them from our definition of AOP. AOP demonstrates the scale of balances held across our suite of products and services, the trust customers place in us to securely store their assets, and the underlying growth of the cryptoeconomy. AOP also represents our monetization opportunity for subscription products and services, including from the adoption and use of USDC, staking, custody, Prime Financing, and Coinbase One. AOP generate fees that are recorded as subscription and services revenue when customers engage with these products and services.
For additional information on the adoption of SAB 122, see Note 2. Summary of Significant Accounting Policies—Change in accounting principle, of the Notes to our Consolidated Financial Statements included in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
The following table sets forth the value of AOP by asset (in thousands, except percentages):
| December 31, | Change | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 2023 | % | |||||||||||
| Bitcoin | $ | 235,377,653 | $ | 89,864,637 | 162 | % | |||||||
| Ethereum | 54,209,118 | 39,762,180 | 36 | % | |||||||||
| Solana | 21,297,761 | 12,906,278 | 65 | % | |||||||||
| Other crypto assets(1) | 87,058,643 | 46,303,676 | 88 | % | |||||||||
| USDC | 6,091,015 | 2,367,276 | 157 | % | |||||||||
| Total | $ | 404,034,190 | $ | 191,204,047 | 111 | % |
__________________
(1)Includes various other crypto asset balances, none of which individually represented more than 5% of total AOP.
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AOP at December 31, 2024 increased as compared to December 31, 2023, primarily due to an increase in crypto asset prices, driven by broader crypto market sentiment and activity. Additionally, the growth in USDC balances is primarily attributable to the USDC rewards program, combined with deeper integration of USDC across our products.
Trading Volume
We define Trading Volume as the total U.S. dollar equivalent value of spot matched trades transacted between a buyer and seller through our platform during the period of measurement. Trading Volume does not include derivatives volume on our platform or trades executed on third-party venues. Trading Volume represents the product of the quantity of assets transacted and the trade price at the time the transaction was executed. As trading activity directly impacts transaction revenue, we believe this measure is a reflection of liquidity on our order books, trading health, and the underlying growth of the cryptoeconomy. Institutional customers incur lower fees per transaction than consumer customers and, as a result, the impact of changes in consumer Trading Volume on transaction revenue is more pronounced than the impact of changes in institutional Trading Volume.
Generally, Trading Volume on our platform is primarily influenced by overall market dynamics, namely the price of crypto assets, crypto asset volatility, and macroeconomic conditions, and by our share of total crypto market spot trading volume. In periods of high crypto asset prices and crypto asset volatility, we have experienced correspondingly high levels of Trading Volume on our platform.
| Year Ended December 31, | Change | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 2023 | % | |||||||||||||
| Trading Volume (in billions) | |||||||||||||||
| Consumer | $ | 221 | $ | 75 | 195 | ||||||||||
| Institutional | 941 | 393 | 139 | ||||||||||||
| Total Trading Volume | $ | 1,162 | $ | 468 | 148 | ||||||||||
| Trading Volume by crypto asset | |||||||||||||||
| Bitcoin | 32 | % | 34 | % | (6) | ||||||||||
| Ethereum | 12 | 20 | (40) | ||||||||||||
| USDT(1) | 13 | 11 | 18 | ||||||||||||
| Other crypto assets(2) | 43 | 35 | 23 | ||||||||||||
| Total | 100% | 100% |
____________________________________
(1)USDT is a stablecoin issued by Tether Operations Limited.
(2)No crypto assets other than those shown in this table individually represented more than 10% of our Trading Volume.
For the year ended December 31, 2024 as compared to 2023, Trading Volume increased reflecting an increase in both the total market and our market share in the U.S., where our business is concentrated:
•Total market — Crypto Asset Volatility1 increased 37% and average total crypto market capitalization increased 103%. These two macro inputs have historically been highly correlated with Trading Volume and are typically influenced by overall crypto market sentiment, activity in the crypto market, and changes in average crypto asset prices; and
•Market share — Trading Volume growth outpaced the 105% growth in overall U.S. spot market trading volume, as we were able to capture a larger portion of the trading activity due to our competitive position and product strategy.
1 Crypto Asset Volatility represents our internal measure of crypto asset volatility in the market relative to prior periods. The volatility is based on intraday returns of a volume-weighted basket of all assets listed on our trading platform. These returns are used to compute the basket’s intraday volatility which is then scaled to a daily window. These daily volatility values are then averaged over the applicable time period as needed.
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Results of Operations
The following table presents the Consolidated Statements of Operations (in thousands), as well as each component as a percentage of total revenue:
| Year Ended December 31, | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 2023 | |||||||||||
| $ | %(1) | $ | %(1) | |||||||||
| Revenue: | ||||||||||||
| Net revenue | $ | 6,293,246 | 96 | $ | 2,926,540 | 94 | ||||||
| Other revenue | 270,782 | 4 | 181,843 | 6 | ||||||||
| Total revenue | 6,564,028 | 100 | 3,108,383 | 100 | ||||||||
| Operating expenses: | ||||||||||||
| Transaction expense | 897,707 | 14 | 420,705 | 14 | ||||||||
| Technology and development | 1,468,252 | 22 | 1,324,541 | 43 | ||||||||
| Sales and marketing | 654,444 | 10 | 332,312 | 11 | ||||||||
| General and administrative | 1,300,257 | 20 | 1,074,308 | 35 | ||||||||
| Gains on crypto assets held for operations, net | (71,725) | (1) | — | — | ||||||||
| Crypto asset impairment, net | — | — | (34,675) | (1) | ||||||||
| Restructuring | — | — | 142,594 | 5 | ||||||||
| Other operating expense, net | 7,933 | — | 10,260 | — | ||||||||
| Total operating expenses | 4,256,868 | 65 | 3,270,045 | 105 | ||||||||
| Operating income (loss) | 2,307,160 | 35 | (161,662) | (5) | ||||||||
| Interest expense | 80,645 | 1 | 82,766 | 3 | ||||||||
| Gains on crypto assets held for investment, net | (687,055) | (10) | — | — | ||||||||
| Other income, net | (29,074) | — | (167,583) | (5) | ||||||||
| Income (loss) before income taxes | 2,942,644 | 45 | (76,845) | (2) | ||||||||
| Provision for (benefit from) income taxes | 363,578 | 6 | (171,716) | (6) | ||||||||
| Net income | $ | 2,579,066 | 39 | $ | 94,871 | 3 |
__________________
(1)Figures presented above may not sum precisely due to rounding.
For information on what is included in each of the line items in our Consolidated Statements of Operations, including the associated business drivers and accounting, please see Part I, Item 1. Business and Note 2. Summary of Significant Accounting Policies of the Notes to our Consolidated Financial Statements in Part II, Item 8. of this Annual Report on Form 10-K, and management’s discussion of the results of operations below.
Comparison of the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023
Revenue
For the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023 we generated 83% and 88%, respectively, of total revenue in the U.S. No other country accounted for more than 10% of total revenue during the years presented. International revenue comprised mainly transaction revenue in both years presented.
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Transaction revenue
| Year Ended December 31, | Change | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (in thousands, except %) | 2024 | 2023 | $ | % | ||||||||||
| Consumer, net(1) | $ | 3,430,322 | $ | 1,334,018 | $ | 2,096,304 | 157 | |||||||
| Institutional, net | 345,598 | 90,164 | 255,434 | 283 | ||||||||||
| Other transaction revenue, net(1) | 210,193 | 95,472 | 114,721 | 120 | ||||||||||
| Total transaction revenue | $ | 3,986,113 | $ | 1,519,654 | $ | 2,466,459 | 162 |
__________________
(1)Prior period amounts were reclassified to conform to current period presentation. See Note 3. Revenue of the Notes to our Consolidated Financial Statements included in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K for additional details.
Transaction revenue increased for the year ended December 31, 2024 as compared to 2023, due to:
•an increase in consumer transaction revenue of $2.6 billion due to a 195% increase in consumer Trading Volume. This increase was offset in part by a decrease of $482.5 million attributed to a lower average blended fee rate, primarily due to changes in the mix of Trading Volume from Simple to Advanced trading;
•an increase in institutional transaction revenue of $139.1 million primarily due to a 139% increase in institutional Trading Volume, as well as growth in revenue from derivatives trading on our international exchange, which was launched in the second quarter of 2023; and
•an increase in other transaction revenue of $77.8 million from transactions on Base, which was launched in the third quarter of 2023, as well as higher revenue from instant transfer withdrawals.
The percentage of transaction revenue from trading on our platform broken down by crypto asset was as follows:
| Year Ended December 31, | Change | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 2023 | % | |||||||||||||
| Bitcoin | 30 | % | 35 | % | (14) | ||||||||||
| Ethereum | 13 | 17 | (24) | ||||||||||||
| Other crypto assets(1) | 57 | 48 | 19 | ||||||||||||
| Total | 100 | % | 100 | % |
____________________________________
(1)No other crypto asset individually represented more than 10% of the total.
Subscription and services revenue
| Year Ended December 31, | Change | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (in thousands, except %) | 2024 | 2023 | $ | % | ||||||||||
| Stablecoin revenue | $ | 910,464 | $ | 694,247 | $ | 216,217 | 31 | |||||||
| Blockchain rewards | 705,757 | 330,885 | 374,872 | 113 | ||||||||||
| Interest and finance fee income(1) | 265,799 | 186,685 | 79,114 | 42 | ||||||||||
| Custodial fee revenue | 141,706 | 69,501 | 72,205 | 104 | ||||||||||
| Other subscription and services revenue(1) | 283,407 | 125,568 | 157,839 | 126 | ||||||||||
| Total subscription and services revenue | $ | 2,307,133 | $ | 1,406,886 | $ | 900,247 | 64 |
__________________
(1)Prior period amounts were reclassified to conform to current period presentation. See Note 3. Revenue of the Notes to our Consolidated Financial Statements included in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K for additional details.
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Subscription and services revenue increased for the year ended December 31, 2024 as compared to 2023, due to:
•an increase in stablecoin revenue of $138.3 million primarily due to higher average customer USDC assets on platform and corporate balances, and $104.7 million attributable to an increase in overall USDC market capitalization, partially offset by increased expenses that are deducted prior to allocation of income from the arrangement with Circle;
•an increase of $350.5 million in blockchain rewards primarily due to higher average prices for Solana and Ethereum, as well as higher native units staked driving growth in both U.S. and international revenue, partially offset by a $62.3 million decrease attributable to changes in reward rates, primarily for Ethereum and Solana;
•an increase in interest and finance fee income primarily reflecting growth of $43.8 million in finance fees driven by higher average volumes of Prime Financing loan receivables, and growth of $25.0 million in interest income attributable to higher average customer custodial cash and cash equivalents balances;
•an increase in custodial fee revenue reflecting growth in average crypto assets and USDC under custody of $81.5 billion primarily driven by higher crypto asset prices, mainly Bitcoin, Solana, and Ethereum; and
•an increase in other subscription and services revenue primarily due to growth of $87.9 million in Coinbase One revenue, as the number of paid subscribers grew driven by positive market conditions and improvements to our product offerings, and an increase in revenue from expanding supported assets on our developer products.
Other revenue
| Year Ended December 31, | Change | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (in thousands, except %) | 2024 | 2023 | $ | % | ||||||||||
| Corporate interest and other income | $ | 270,782 | $ | 181,843 | $ | 88,939 | 49 | |||||||
| Total other revenue | $ | 270,782 | $ | 181,843 | $ | 88,939 | 49 |
Other revenue increased for the year ended December 31, 2024 as compared to 2023, primarily due to higher average cash and cash equivalents balances.
Operating expenses
Certain prior period amounts have been reclassified to conform to current period presentation.
Transaction expense
| Year Ended December 31, | Change | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (in thousands, except %) | 2024 | 2023 | $ | % | ||||||||||
| Blockchain rewards fees | $ | 455,946 | $ | 229,851 | $ | 226,095 | 98 | |||||||
| Payment processing and account verification | 150,897 | 76,795 | 74,102 | 96 | ||||||||||
| Transaction rebates and commissions | 122,372 | 6,876 | 115,496 | nm | ||||||||||
| Transaction reversal losses | 79,639 | 51,501 | 28,138 | 55 | ||||||||||
| Blockchain transaction fees | 80,926 | 55,467 | 25,459 | 46 | ||||||||||
| Other | 7,927 | 215 | 7,712 | nm | ||||||||||
| Total transaction expense | $ | 897,707 | $ | 420,705 | $ | 477,002 | 113 |
__________________
nm - not meaningful
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Transaction expense increased for the year ended December 31, 2024 as compared to 2023, due to:
•higher blockchain rewards fees, which rose generally in line with blockchain rewards revenue;
•an increase in payment processing fees of $56.4 million, reflecting Trading Volume growth of 148%, offset in part by savings from reduced fees at higher volumes; and
•higher transaction rebates and commissions, driven primarily by rebates earned by institutional customers providing liquidity on our international exchange, driven by growth in volume.
There were no material changes to note within transaction reversal losses, blockchain transaction fees, or other.
Transaction expense as a percentage of total revenue will vary depending on the composition of the Company’s total revenue, as certain revenue streams incur little or no transaction costs while others have associated expenses. For example, if interest income and stablecoin revenue increase as a percentage of total revenue, transaction expenses as a percentage of total revenue will decrease as there are no transaction expenses directly attributed to these revenues. Conversely, if blockchain rewards increase as a percentage of total revenue, transaction expenses as a percentage of total revenue will increase since the majority of blockchain rewards revenue is distributed to the customer. There was no change in overall transaction expense as a percentage of total revenue when comparing the periods presented.
Technology and development
| Year Ended December 31, | Change | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (in thousands, except %) | 2024 | 2023 | $ | % | ||||||||||
| Personnel-related | $ | 1,038,154 | $ | 936,881 | $ | 101,273 | 11 | |||||||
| Website hosting and infrastructure | 228,392 | 192,009 | 36,383 | 19 | ||||||||||
| Amortization, depreciation, and impairment | 122,595 | 131,611 | (9,016) | (7) | ||||||||||
| Other | 79,111 | 64,040 | 15,071 | 24 | ||||||||||
| Total technology and development | $ | 1,468,252 | $ | 1,324,541 | $ | 143,711 | 11 |
Technology and development expenses increased for the year ended December 31, 2024 as compared to 2023, due to:
•an increase in personnel-related expenses primarily reflecting higher stock-based compensation expense of $104.1 million as a result of the 2023 annual employee equity awards being granted at a lower stock price as compared to the 2024 annual employee equity awards, offset in part by the roll-off of non-recurring multi-year stock-based compensation awards. Further, personnel-related expenses increased $42.6 million due to higher average headcount; and
•higher website hosting and infrastructure expenses driven by increased activity on our platform.
There were no material changes to note within amortization, depreciation, and impairment or other.
Sales and marketing
| Year Ended December 31, | Change | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (in thousands, except %) | 2024 | 2023 | $ | % | ||||||||||
| Marketing programs | $ | 247,087 | $ | 134,018 | $ | 113,069 | 84 | |||||||
| USDC rewards | 224,255 | 34,944 | 189,311 | 542 | ||||||||||
| Personnel-related | 151,054 | 143,762 | 7,292 | 5 | ||||||||||
| Other | 32,048 | 19,588 | 12,460 | 64 | ||||||||||
| Total sales and marketing | $ | 654,444 | $ | 332,312 | $ | 322,132 | 97 |
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Sales and marketing expenses increased for the year ended December 31, 2024 as compared to 2023, due to:
•an increase in marketing programs expenses primarily due to $75.4 million higher digital advertising spend, and an increase in customer referral and other promotional initiatives; and
•an increase in USDC rewards payouts of $112.4 million due to higher reward rates offered to customers in an effort to enhance customer acquisition, retention, and platform engagement, with the remainder primarily due to growth in average customer USDC assets on platform.
There were no material changes to note within personnel-related or other.
General and administrative
| Year Ended December 31, | Change | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (in thousands, except %) | 2024 | 2023 | $ | % | ||||||||||
| Personnel-related | $ | 608,786 | $ | 571,083 | $ | 37,703 | 7 | |||||||
| Professional services | 202,956 | 182,908 | 20,048 | 11 | ||||||||||
| Customer support (1) | 124,940 | 48,804 | 76,136 | 156 | ||||||||||
| Other | 363,575 | 271,513 | 92,062 | 34 | ||||||||||
| Total general and administrative | $ | 1,300,257 | $ | 1,074,308 | $ | 225,949 | 21 |
__________________
(1)Excludes personnel-related and professional services expenses.
General and administrative expenses increased for the year ended December 31, 2024 as compared to 2023, due to:
•an increase in personnel-related expenses largely driven by increased stock-based compensation expense as a result of the 2023 annual employee equity awards being granted at a lower stock price as compared to the 2024 annual employee equity rewards;
•higher professional services expenses driven by an increase of $30.0 million in legal advisory services, offset in part by lower business consulting expenses;
•an increase in customer support costs as a result of increased capacity needs. Our capacity needs typically increase in periods following higher Trading Volumes; and
•an increase in other, largely reflecting:
▪an additional $33.3 million in policy spend as we increased our crypto advocacy efforts;
▪an increase of $31.0 million in taxes, licenses, and fees primarily due to higher indirect taxes directly associated with the growth in revenue and the application of certain indirect tax rules;
▪an increase in legal costs of $23.4 million due to higher spend; offset in part by
▪lower lease costs, as we recognized a one-time lease termination fee of $25.0 million during the year ended December 31, 2023 related to the closure of our San Francisco office space.
▪The remaining variance in other was due to increases across various expenses, with no material changes to note.
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Gains on crypto assets held for operations, net
| Year Ended December 31, | Change | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (in thousands, except %) | 2024 | 2023 | $ | % | ||||||||||
| Gains on crypto assets held for operations, net | $ | (71,725) | $ | — | $ | (71,725) | nm |
_____________
nm - not meaningful
Gains on crypto assets held for operations, net during the year ended December 31, 2024 resulted primarily from flows of crypto assets held for operations during a period of rising crypto asset prices. Though gross inflows and outflows of these assets were each $1.5 billion in 2024, gains on changes in the fair value of the assets were limited as these assets are converted to cash or used for expenses nearly immediately after receipt.
Crypto asset impairment, net
During the year ended December 31, 2023, crypto asset impairment, net reflected a $34.7 million expense, driven by gross crypto asset impairments resulting from challenging crypto market conditions, followed by expense recoveries as we sold previously impaired assets at recovered prices. Beginning January 2024, we adopted ASU 2023-08, and as a result no longer record crypto asset impairments.
Restructuring
Restructuring expense was $142.6 million for the year ended December 31, 2023, comprising separation pay, stock-based compensation expense, and other personnel costs related to the workforce reduction in January 2023. There were no restructuring expenses for the year ended December 31, 2024.
Other operating expense, net
| Year Ended December 31, | Change | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (in thousands, except %) | 2024 | 2023 | $ | % | ||||||||||
| Platform-related incidents | $ | 28,070 | $ | 15,717 | $ | 12,353 | 79 | |||||||
| Other | (20,137) | (5,457) | (14,680) | 269 | ||||||||||
| Total other operating expense, net | $ | 7,933 | $ | 10,260 | $ | (2,327) | (23) |
There were no material changes to note within Other operating expense, net.
Interest expense
| Year Ended December 31, | Change | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (in thousands, except %) | 2024 | 2023 | $ | % | ||||||||||
| Interest expense | $ | 80,645 | $ | 82,766 | $ | (2,121) | (3) |
There were no material changes to note within Interest expense.
Gains on crypto assets held for investment, net
| Year Ended December 31, | Change | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (in thousands, except %) | 2024 | 2023 | $ | % | ||||||||||
| Gains on crypto assets held for investment, net | $ | (687,055) | $ | — | $ | (687,055) | nm |
__________________
nm - not meaningful
Gains on crypto assets held for investment, net during the year ended December 31, 2024 were primarily due to remeasurement of the fair value of crypto assets held, mainly reflecting increases in the prices of Bitcoin and Ethereum.
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Other income, net
| Year Ended December 31, | Change | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (in thousands, except %) | 2024 | 2023 | $ | % | ||||||||||
| Losses (gains) on strategic investments, net | $ | 11,553 | $ | (24,368) | $ | 35,921 | (147) | |||||||
| Gain on extinguishment of long-term debt, net | — | (117,383) | 117,383 | nm | ||||||||||
| Other | (40,627) | (25,832) | (14,795) | 57 | ||||||||||
| Total other income, net | $ | (29,074) | $ | (167,583) | $ | 138,509 | (83) |
__________________
nm - not meaningful
Other income, net changed for the year ended December 31, 2024 as compared to 2023, due to:
•a decrease in gains on strategic investments, net driven by a gain of $49.9 million resulting from an equity investment transaction with Circle US Holding, Inc. during the third quarter of 2023; and
•a net gain on the repurchase of certain of our 2026 Convertible Notes and certain of our Senior Notes during 2023.
There were no material changes to note within other.
Provision for (benefit from) income taxes
| Year Ended December 31, | Change | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (in thousands, except %) | 2024 | 2023 | $ | % | ||||||||||
| Provision for (benefit from) income taxes | $ | 363,578 | $ | (171,716) | $ | 535,294 | (312) |
For the year ended December 31, 2024 as compared to 2023, the increase in provision for income taxes was primarily due to higher pretax income, partially offset by tax benefits from stock-based compensation. Additionally, the 2023 income tax provision reflected a benefit from the reduction of a valuation allowance recorded on impairment charges and strategic investments.
In December 2021, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development introduced Pillar Two model rules imposing a 15% global minimum tax on companies such as ours. We operate in several jurisdictions that have introduced Pillar Two legislation with effect from January 1, 2024. Pillar Two did not have a material impact on our tax provision for 2024. However, we may be impacted in future years as this framework is modified and adjusted in the jurisdictions where we operate.
Non-GAAP Financial Measure
In addition to our results determined in accordance with GAAP, we believe Adjusted EBITDA, a non-GAAP financial performance measure, is useful information to help investors evaluate our operating performance because it: enables investors to compare this measure and component adjustments to similar information provided by peer companies and our past financial performance; provides additional company-specific adjustments for certain items that may be included in income from operations but that we do not consider to be normal, recurring, operating expenses (or income) necessary to operate our business given our operations, revenue generating activities, business strategy, industry, and regulatory environment; and provides investors with visibility to a measure management uses to evaluate our ongoing operations and for internal planning and forecasting purposes. For example:
•We believe it is useful to exclude certain non-cash expenses, such as depreciation and amortization and stock-based compensation, from Adjusted EBITDA because the amounts of such expenses can vary significantly from period to period and may not directly correlate to the underlying performance of our business operations.
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•We believe it is useful to exclude certain items that we do not consider to be normal, recurring, cash operating expenses and therefore, not reflective of our ongoing business operations. For example, we exclude: (i) other (income) expense, net, as the income and expenses recognized in this line item are not part of our core operating activities and are considered non-operating activities under GAAP, (ii) gains and losses on crypto assets held for investment (post-adoption of ASU 2023-08) because such investments are considered primarily long-term holdings, we do not plan on engaging in regular trading of crypto assets, and, as an operating company, our investing activities in crypto are not part of our revenue generating activities, which are based on transactions on our platform and the sales of subscriptions and services, and (iii) the impact of our restructuring in 2023, which was not related to our normal business operations.
•We believe Adjusted EBITDA is useful to measure a company’s operating performance without regard to items such as stock-based compensation expense, depreciation and amortization expense, interest expense, other (income) expense, net, restructurings, and benefit from or provision for income taxes that can vary substantially from company to company depending upon their financing, capital structures, and the method by which assets were acquired.
Limitations of Adjusted EBITDA
We believe that Adjusted EBITDA may be helpful to investors for the reasons noted above. 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. There are a number of limitations related to Adjusted EBITDA rather than net income (loss), which is the nearest GAAP equivalent of Adjusted EBITDA. Some of these limitations are that Adjusted EBITDA excludes:
•provision for (benefit from) income taxes;
•interest expense, or the cash requirements necessary to service interest or principal payments on our debt, which reduces cash available to us;
•depreciation and amortization expense and, although these are non-cash expenses, the assets being depreciated and amortized may have to be replaced in the future;
•stock-based compensation expense, which has been, and will continue to be for the foreseeable future, a significant recurring expense for our business and an important part of our compensation strategy;
•net gains or losses on our crypto assets held for investment, net, after the adoption of ASU 2023-08;
•other (income) expense, net, which represents foreign exchange gains or losses, gains or losses on strategic investments, net, gains on the repurchase of certain of our long-term debt, and other non-operating income and expense activity;
•non-recurring lease charges, which represent a non-recurring fee and write-off related to an early lease termination;
•non-recurring accrued legal contingencies, settlements, and related costs, which reduces cash available to us;
•impairment on crypto assets still held, net, which represents impairment on crypto assets still held and is a non-cash expense, prior to the adoption of ASU 2023-08; and
•the impact of restructuring, which is not related to normal operations but impacted our results in 2023.
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In addition, other companies, including companies in our industry, may calculate Adjusted EBITDA differently or may use other measures to evaluate their performance, all of which could reduce the usefulness of our disclosure of Adjusted EBITDA as a tool for comparison. A reconciliation is provided below for Adjusted EBITDA to Net income (loss), the most directly comparable financial measure stated in accordance with GAAP. Investors are encouraged to review the related GAAP financial measure and the reconciliation of Adjusted EBITDA to Net income (loss), and not to rely on any single financial measure to evaluate our business.
Revised definition of Adjusted EBITDA
During the first quarter of 2024, we revised our definition of Adjusted EBITDA as follows and recast the prior period for comparability:
•to adjust for other (income) expense, net in total, as the entire line item represents non-operating activity, and as a majority of the activity recorded in other (income) expense, net had been included in the calculation of Adjusted EBITDA previously in separate rows while this combined presentation is more streamlined and easily reconciled to our Consolidated Statements of Operations;
•to revise our definition of Adjusted EBITDA to remove the adjustment for crypto asset borrowing costs on Prime Financing, as even though these costs are akin to interest expense on debt, we believe they represent normal, recurring, operating expenses necessary to expand and grow Prime Financing; and
•to revise our definition of Adjusted EBITDA to change what is adjusted with respect to gains and losses on crypto assets in connection with the adoption of ASU 2023-08, adjusting post-adoption only for gains and losses on crypto assets held for investment, as they do not represent normal, recurring, operating expenses (or income) necessary to operate our business.
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The following table provides a reconciliation of Net income (loss) to Adjusted EBITDA. The prior period comparative reconciliation has been updated to conform to the current period presentation (in thousands):
| Year Ended December 31, | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 2023 | |||||
| Net income | $ | 2,579,066 | $ | 94,871 | ||
| Adjusted to exclude the following: | ||||||
| Provision for (benefit from) income taxes | 363,578 | (171,716) | ||||
| Interest expense | 80,645 | 82,766 | ||||
| Depreciation and amortization | 127,518 | 139,642 | ||||
| Stock-based compensation expense(1) | 912,838 | 780,668 | ||||
| Gains on crypto assets held for investment, net (post-adoption of ASU 2023-08) | (687,055) | — | ||||
| Other income, net(2) | (29,074) | (167,583) | ||||
| Non-recurring lease charges | — | 31,955 | ||||
| Non-recurring accrued legal contingencies, settlements, and related costs | — | 15,000 | ||||
| Impairment on crypto assets still held, net (pre-adoption of ASU 2023-08) | — | 29,481 | ||||
| Restructuring | — | 142,594 | ||||
| Adjusted EBITDA | $ | 3,347,516 | $ | 977,678 | ||
| Revised definition no longer adjusts for: | ||||||
| Crypto asset borrowing costs | $ | 4,807 | ||||
| Other impairment expense | 18,793 | |||||
| Revised definition newly adjusts for: | ||||||
| Additional other income, net(3) | (37,624) | |||||
| Adjusted EBITDA, previous definition | $ | 963,654 |
__________________
(1)Amount in 2023 excludes stock-based compensation expense recognized in relation to restructuring, which is included below in the restructuring line in this table. See Note 20. Restructuring, of the Notes to our Consolidated Financial Statements included in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K for additional details.
(2)See Note 16. Other (Income) Expense, Net, of the Notes to our Consolidated Financial Statements included in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K for additional details.
(3)Represents the portion of Other (income) expense, net that was not previously included as an adjustment to arrive at Adjusted EBITDA.
Liquidity and Capital Resources
We continue to believe our existing cash and cash equivalents and USDC will be sufficient in both the short and long term to meet our requirements and plans for cash, including meeting our working capital and capital expenditure requirements. Our ability to meet our requirements and plans for cash, including meeting our working capital and capital expenditure requirements, will depend on many factors, including market acceptance of crypto assets and blockchain technology, our growth, our ability to attract and retain customers on our platform, the continuing market acceptance of our products and services, the introduction of new subscription products and services on our platform, expansion of sales and marketing activities, and overall economic conditions. We anticipate satisfying our short-term cash requirements with our existing cash and cash equivalents and USDC and with future cash flows from operations and may satisfy our long-term cash requirements additionally with proceeds from a future equity or debt financing. The sale of additional equity would result in additional dilution to our stockholders. The incurrence of additional debt financing would result in debt service obligations, and the instruments governing such debt could provide for operating and financing covenants that would restrict our operations.
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Primary resources and commitments
Cash and cash equivalents and USDC
Our cash and cash equivalents and USDC balances consisted of the following (in thousands):
| December 31, | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 2023 | |||||
| Cash and cash equivalents | ||||||
| Cash equivalents(1) | $ | 6,607,023 | $ | 3,682,917 | ||
| Cash held at banks | 1,848,700 | 1,367,643 | ||||
| Cash held at venues | 88,180 | 88,791 | ||||
| Total cash and cash equivalents | $ | 8,543,903 | $ | 5,139,351 | ||
| USDC(2) | ||||||
| USDC loaned(3) | $ | 168,795 | $ | 205,645 | ||
| USDC pledged as collateral(3) | 329,832 | 29,577 | ||||
| USDC not loaned or pledged as collateral | 743,181 | 340,806 | ||||
| Total USDC | $ | 1,241,808 | $ | 576,028 |
__________________
(1)Cash equivalents consists of money market funds.
(2)USDC is a stablecoin redeemable on a one-to-one basis for U.S. dollars. While not accounted for as cash or cash equivalents, we treat our USDC holdings as a liquidity resource.
(3)USDC loaned represents loaned assets that do not meet the criteria for derecognition in our Consolidated Balance Sheets. USDC pledged as collateral represents assets pledged as collateral that do not meet derecognition criteria against our crypto asset borrowings in our Consolidated Balance Sheets. See Note 2. Summary of Significant Accounting Policies—Collateralized arrangements and financing of the Notes to our Consolidated Financial Statements included in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K for additional details.
Long-term debt
On March 18, 2024, we issued $1.3 billion in aggregate principal amount of convertible senior notes that mature on April 1, 2030, unless converted, redeemed or repurchased on an earlier date. As of December 31, 2024, we held $4.3 billion in aggregate principal amount of long-term debt.
As market conditions warrant, we may, from time to time, repurchase our outstanding long-term debt securities in the open market, in privately negotiated transactions, by exchange transaction, or otherwise. Such repurchases, if any, will depend on prevailing market conditions, our liquidity, and other factors, and may be commenced or suspended at any time. The amounts involved and total consideration paid may be material. In 2023, we repurchased $427.0 million in aggregate principal amount of our outstanding long-term debt securities for cash payments aggregating $303.5 million.
See Note 10. Long-Term Debt of the Notes to our Consolidated Financial Statements included in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K for additional details on our long-term debt, including maturities and repurchases.
As of December 31, 2024 and 2023, our ratings with S&P Global Ratings were BB- for both issuer credit and senior unsecured debt. As of December 31, 2024 and 2023, our ratings with Moody’s Ratings were B2 for corporate family and B1 for guaranteed senior unsecured notes.
Other resources and commitments
Crypto assets
The Company holds crypto assets for investment and operating purposes, as well as borrowed crypto assets and crypto assets held as collateral. Effective January 1, 2024, we adopted ASU 2023-08 using a modified retrospective approach and recognized an associated fair value adjustment of $739.5 million on
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the crypto assets we held at that time. This adjustment caused the carrying values of the crypto assets we already held at the time to reflect their fair values and, as such, this adjustment does not represent additional capital resources generated during 2024.
Crypto assets held for operations
We primarily receive crypto assets held for operations as payments for transaction revenue, blockchain rewards, custodial fee revenue, and other subscriptions and services revenue. Our intent is to convert crypto assets received as a form of payment to cash or to use them to fulfill expenses, primarily blockchain rewards, nearly immediately. During times of instability in the crypto assets market, we may not be able to sell our crypto assets at reasonable prices or at all. As a result, our crypto assets held for operations are considered less liquid than our cash and cash equivalents and may not be able to serve as a source of liquidity for us to the same extent as cash and cash equivalents. See Note 5. Crypto Assets Held for Operations of the Notes to our Consolidated Financial Statements included in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K, for additional details.
Crypto assets held as collateral
Crypto assets held as collateral represent institutional customers’ crypto assets pledged as collateral on certain Prime Financing loans. See Note 4. Collateralized Arrangements and Financing of the Notes to our Consolidated Financial Statements included in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K, for additional details related to collateral held and our obligation to return collateral. As Prime Financing grows, we will continue to evaluate how to best utilize these resources to help fund the growth of this business.
Crypto assets borrowed and borrowings
We borrow crypto assets from eligible institutional customers. These borrowings generally have open-ended terms or have a term of less than one year. We are required to maintain a collateral to loan ratio per our borrowing agreements. Any significant change in crypto asset prices could impact the value of the crypto assets borrowed or the value of crypto assets pledged as collateral. If crypto asset prices rise, we will post additional collateral to maintain required collateral loan ratios. We were in compliance with all collateral requirements as of December 31, 2024. See Note 4. Collateralized Arrangements and Financing of the Notes to our Consolidated Financial Statements included in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K, for additional details relating to crypto assets borrowed and borrowings.
Crypto assets held for investment
We view our crypto asset investments as primarily long-term holdings and we do not and do not plan to engage in regular trading of these crypto assets. In case of a liquidity stress event, or for other episodic purposes, which may necessitate the use of these assets, we may change our policy and sell crypto assets held for investment to generate liquidity. See Note 7. Crypto Assets Held for Investment of the Notes to our Consolidated Financial Statements included in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K, for additional details.
Customer assets and liabilities
Recognized customer assets and liabilities comprise customer custodial funds and corresponding customer custodial liabilities that represent our obligation to return these assets to the customers. We also hold additional customer Assets on Platform that we do not recognize in our Consolidated Balance Sheets. See Key Business Metrics—Assets on Platform above, and Note 2. Summary of Significant Accounting Policies—Customer custodial funds and Customer custodial fund liabilities of the Notes to our Consolidated Financial Statements included in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K, for additional details. We do not use customer crypto assets as collateral for any loan, margin, rehypothecation, or other similar activities to which we or our affiliates are a party, without the customer’s consent.
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Our business model does not expose us to liquidity risk if we have excessive redemptions or withdrawals from customers. As of December 31, 2024, we have not experienced excessive redemptions or withdrawals, or prolonged suspended redemptions or withdrawals, of crypto assets to date. See Risk Factors—Depositing and withdrawing crypto assets into and from our platform involves risks, which could result in loss of customer assets, customer disputes and other liabilities, which could adversely affect our business, operating results, and financial condition included in Part I, Item 1A of this Annual Report on Form 10-K for further information.
Capital requirements and contractual obligations
Certain jurisdictions where we operate require us to hold eligible liquid assets, as defined by applicable regulatory requirements and commercial law in these jurisdictions, equal to at least 100% of the aggregate amount of all customer custodial fund liabilities. Depending on the jurisdiction, eligible liquid assets can include cash and cash equivalents, customer custodial funds, and in-transit customer receivables. As of December 31, 2024 and 2023, our eligible liquid assets were greater than the aggregate amount of customer custodial fund liabilities. We are also required to hold corporate liquid assets at our subsidiaries to meet capital requirements established by our regulators based on the value of crypto assets held in custody. As of December 31, 2024, we were in compliance with these capital requirements.
As of December 31, 2024, our material cash requirements and contractual obligations arising in the normal course of business due within the next 12 months and in total consisted of the following (in thousands):
| Amounts Due | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Next 12 Months | Total | |||||
| Operating leases(1) | $ | 9,885 | $ | 132,327 | ||
| Non-cancelable purchase obligations(2) | 119,874 | 198,486 | ||||
| Long-term debt(3) | ||||||
| Interest | 70,010 | 349,089 | ||||
| Principal | — | 4,275,470 | ||||
| Total | $ | 199,769 | $ | 4,955,372 |
_______________
(1) Primarily relating to lease payments due for corporate offices. See Note 12. Other Consolidated Balance Sheets Details of the Notes to our Consolidated Financial Statements included in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K, for additional details.
(2) Committed spend for non-cancellable purchase obligations greater than $2.0 million per obligation, primarily relating to technology and marketing.
(3) Assumes that our long-term debt is not repurchased, redeemed, or converted prior to maturity. See Note 10. Long-Term Debt of the Notes to our Consolidated Financial Statements included in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K, for additional details.
See Notes 12. Other Consolidated Balance Sheets Details, 17. Income Taxes, and 21. Commitments and Contingencies of the Notes to our Consolidated Financial Statements included in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K, for additional details relating to our short- and long-term material cash requirements and contractual obligations as of December 31, 2024.
In October 2024, our board of directors authorized a share repurchase program of up to $1.0 billion of our Class A common stock without expiration (the “Share Repurchase Program”). Repurchases may be made at management’s discretion from time to time on the open market (including through trading plans intended to qualify under Rule 10b5-1 under the Exchange Act), through privately negotiated transactions, or by other methods in accordance with applicable securities laws and other restrictions. The timing and amount of any repurchases will depend on market conditions and other considerations. The Share Repurchase Program does not obligate us to repurchase any dollar amount or number of shares of our Class A common stock, and the program may be modified, suspended, or discontinued at any time. We anticipate that repurchases under the Share Repurchase Program will be funded using our existing cash
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and cash equivalents and USDC and with future cash flows from operations. As of December 31, 2024, no shares have been repurchased under the Share Repurchase Program.
Cash flows
The following table summarizes our Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows (in thousands):
| Year Ended December 31, | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 2023 | |||||
| Net cash provided by operating activities | $ | 2,556,844 | $ | 922,951 | ||
| Net cash (used in) provided by investing activities | (282,385) | 5,392 | ||||
| Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities | 2,828,921 | (811,332) | ||||
| Net increase in cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash and cash equivalents | $ | 5,103,380 | $ | 117,011 | ||
| Change in customer custodial cash and cash equivalents | $ | 1,634,934 | $ | (585,666) |
Operating activities
Our largest source of cash provided by operations are revenues generated from transaction fees. Our primary uses of cash from operating activities include payments to employees for compensation, website hosting and infrastructure services, and professional services.
Net cash provided by operating activities increased by $1.6 billion for the year ended December 31, 2024 as compared to 2023 primarily due to:
•an increase in cash as a result of the $3.5 billion increase in total revenue; offset in part by
•a $801.7 million increase in cash used to purchase USDC in order to facilitate growth in Prime Financing as well as to provide liquidity for normal business operations;
•a $115.2 million increase in cash used for annual employee performance compensation given our strong financial performance during the prior year;
•a $106.1 million increase in cash used to pay income taxes; and
•an overall increase in other cash expenses as we continue to grow our business.
Investing activities
Net cash used in investing activities increased by $287.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2024 as compared to 2023 due to:
•an increase of $138.6 million in cash used for the origination of fiat loans, net of repayments, reflecting growth in Prime Financing and lower net cash inflows in 2024 related to the discontinuation of a retail lending program; and
•$41.6 million in cash provided by net sales of crypto assets held for investment for the year ended December 31, 2024, as compared to $184.0 million in cash provided by net sales of crypto assets held prior to the adoption of ASU 2023-08 for the year ended December 31, 2023.
Financing activities
Net cash provided by financing activities increased by $3.6 billion for the year ended December 31, 2024 as compared to 2023 primarily due to:
•a $1.9 billion increase in customer custodial cash attributable to increased Trading Volume;
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•a $1.1 billion net increase in cash due to proceeds from the issuance of our 2030 Convertible Notes less cash paid for associated capped calls;
•a $303.5 million decrease in cash outflows in 2024 related to long-term debt repurchases in 2023; and
•a $22.5 million net increase in recognized fiat collateral pledged by institutional customers related to Prime Financing loans.
Critical Accounting Estimates
Our Consolidated Financial Statements and the related notes included elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K are prepared in accordance with GAAP. The preparation of our Consolidated Financial Statements also requires us to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenue, costs, and expenses and related disclosures. We base our estimates on historical experience and on various other assumptions that we believe to be reasonable under the circumstances. Actual results could differ significantly from our estimates. To the extent that there are differences between our estimates and actual results, our future financial statement presentation, financial condition, operating results, and cash flows will be affected.
See Note 2. Summary of Significant Accounting Policies of the Notes to our Consolidated Financial Statements included in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K for a summary of significant accounting policies and significant estimates and assumptions and their effects on our financial statements. Below are the significant estimates and assumptions that we consider critical because they involve a significant amount of estimation uncertainty and have had or are reasonably likely to have a material impact on our financial condition or results of operations.
Business combinations, goodwill, and intangible assets
We determined that business combinations, goodwill, and intangible assets represent critical accounting estimates, as they involve significant judgment, estimates, and assumptions and to the extent that our estimates and assumptions materially change or if actual circumstances differ from those in the assumptions, our financial statements could be materially impacted.
We account for our business combinations using the acquisition method of accounting, which requires, among other things, allocation of the fair value of purchase consideration to the tangible and intangible assets acquired and liabilities assumed at their estimated fair values on the acquisition date. When determining the fair value of assets acquired and liabilities assumed, we make significant estimates and assumptions, especially with respect to non-crypto intangible assets. These intangible assets do not have observable prices and have primarily consisted of customer relationships, developed technology, licenses, trademarks and trade names, and non-compete agreements, which are subsequently measured at acquisition date fair value, less accumulated amortization. These estimates and assumptions can include, but are not limited to, the cash flows that an asset is expected to generate in the future, the appropriate weighted-average cost of capital, the number of working hours required to recreate the intangible asset (if following the cost approach), and the estimated useful lives. Changes in these assumptions could affect the carrying value of these assets. Our estimates of fair value are based upon assumptions believed to be reasonable, but which are inherently uncertain and, as a result, actual results may differ from estimates.
Goodwill
We perform an impairment test annually in the fourth quarter or whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying value of goodwill might not be fully recoverable. In accordance with applicable accounting guidance, a company can assess qualitative factors to determine whether it is necessary to perform a goodwill impairment test. Alternatively, a company may elect to proceed directly to a quantitative goodwill impairment test. We do the former and assess qualitative factors to determine whether it is necessary to perform a goodwill impairment test. We review factors including changes in our
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stock price, macroeconomic conditions, industry and market conditions, cost factors, overall financial performance, changes in any key personnel, and any changes in the composition of the carrying amount of our assets. There were no changes to the qualitative factors considered indicating an impairment of goodwill for the reporting periods presented. In the future, if there are material changes in the underlying estimates and assumptions pertaining to the impairment assessment, our financial statements could be materially impacted. For the reporting periods presented, we determined that it was more likely than not that the fair value of our reporting unit was more than the respective related carrying amounts, including goodwill, and therefore we did not record any goodwill impairment.
Intangible assets
Intangible assets are initially valued at fair value using generally accepted valuation methods appropriate for the type of intangible asset. Intangible assets with definite lives are amortized over their estimated useful lives and are reviewed for impairment if indicators of impairment arise. Intangible assets assessed as having indefinite lives are not amortized, but are assessed for indicators that the useful life is no longer indefinite or for indicators of impairment each period. Indicators we review, as applicable, include whether there has been a significant adverse change in the extent or manner in which our assets are being used, a significant adverse change in legal factors affecting our assets, customer attrition, and/or a cash flow loss. Due to the dynamic nature of our business and the regulatory environment in which we operate, it is not practicable to model sensitivity of the valuation of these assets to these factors. Each reporting period, we evaluate the estimated remaining useful life of our intangible assets and whether events or changes in circumstances warrant a revision to the remaining period of amortization. We did not identify indicators of impairment of our intangible assets during the reporting periods presented. In the future, if there are material changes in the underlying estimates and assumptions pertaining to the impairment assessment, our financial statements could be materially impacted.
Strategic investments
We hold strategic investments in privately held companies in the form of equity securities without readily determinable fair values in which we do not have a controlling interest or significant influence. The vast majority of these investments are accounted for under the measurement alternative method (“the measurement alternative”) and are measured at cost, less impairment, subject to upward and downward adjustments resulting from observable price changes for identical or similar investments of the same issuer (“pricing adjustments”). We determined that valuation of privately-held strategic investments represents a critical accounting estimate because impairment evaluations involve significant judgment, estimates, and assumptions, and to the extent that these estimates and assumptions change materially or if actual circumstances differ from those in the assumptions, our financial statements could be materially impacted.
Pricing adjustments
Pricing adjustments require quantitative assessments of the fair value of our strategic investments, which may require the use of unobservable inputs. Pricing adjustments are determined by using various valuation methodologies and involve the use of estimates using the best information available, which may include cash flow projections or other available market data.
Impairment
Privately-held strategic investments are evaluated quarterly for impairment. Our qualitative analysis includes a review of indicators such as: operating results when available, business prospects of the investees, changes in the regulatory and macroeconomic environment, observable price changes in similar transactions, and general market conditions of the geographical area or industry in which our investees operate. If indicators of impairment exist, we prepare quantitative measurements of the fair value of our equity investments using an Option-Pricing Model that uses publicly available market data of comparable companies and other unobservable inputs including expected volatility, expected time to
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liquidity, adjustments for other company-specific developments, and the rights and obligations of the securities we hold. When the quantitative remeasurements of fair value indicate an impairment exists, we write down the investment to its current fair value.
We anticipate volatility to our net income (loss) in future periods due to changes in the fair values associated with these investments and changes in observable prices and similar transactions that could impact our fair value assessments. Based on future market conditions, these changes could be material to our financial statements. For more information regarding these market conditions and related sensitivity, see the section titled “Item 7A. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk – Equity investment risk. See Note 13. Fair Value Measurements of the Notes to our Consolidated Financial Statements included in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K for details of changes in our strategic investments for the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023.
Income taxes
We determined that income taxes involve critical accounting estimates because management makes significant estimates, assumptions, and judgments to determine our provision for income taxes, deferred tax assets and liabilities, and any valuation allowance recorded against deferred tax assets, and to the extent that our estimates and assumptions materially change, or if actual circumstances differ materially from those in the assumptions, our financial statements could be materially impacted.
We utilize the asset and liability method for computing our income tax provision. Deferred tax assets and liabilities reflect the expected future consequences of temporary differences between the financial reporting and tax bases of assets and liabilities as well as operating loss, capital loss, and tax credit carryforwards, using enacted tax rates. We assess the likelihood that our deferred tax assets will be recovered from future taxable income and, to the extent we believe that recovery is not likely, we establish a valuation allowance. Assessing the need for a valuation allowance requires a great deal of judgment and we consider all available evidence, both positive and negative, to determine whether it is more likely than not that our deferred tax assets are recoverable. We evaluate all available evidence including, but not limited to, history of earnings and losses, forecasts of future taxable income, and the weight of evidence that can be objectively verified. See Note 17. Income Taxes of the Notes to our Consolidated Financial Statements included in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K for details of changes in our valuation allowance for the years ended December 31, 2024, 2023, and 2022.
We recognize the tax benefit from an uncertain tax position only if it is more likely than not the tax position will be sustained on examination by the taxing authorities, based on the technical merits of the position. The tax benefits recognized from such positions are then measured based on the largest benefit that has a greater than 50% likelihood of being realized upon settlement. Interest and penalties related to unrecognized tax benefits are recognized within the provision for income taxes. See Note 17. Income Taxes of the Notes to our Consolidated Financial Statements included in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K for details of changes in unrecognized tax benefits for the years ended December 31, 2024, 2023, and 2022.
For U.S. federal tax purposes, crypto asset transactions are treated under the same tax principles as property transactions. We recognize a gain or loss when crypto assets are exchanged for other property, in the amount of the difference between the fair market value of the property received and the tax basis of the exchanged crypto assets. Receipts of crypto assets in exchange for goods or services are included in taxable income at the fair market value on the date of receipt.
Legal and other contingencies
We are subject to various legal proceedings and claims that arise in the ordinary course of business, the outcomes of which are inherently uncertain, and such uncertainty may be enhanced due to the industry in which we operate. We record a liability when it is probable that a loss has been incurred and the amount is reasonably estimable, the determination of which requires significant judgment. In addition,
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we record recoveries of these losses when it is probable that they will be collected. These estimates are highly sensitive to change and involve variables that are not completely within our control nor practicable to model, including decisions made by regulators and settlement negotiations. Resolution of legal and other contingencies in a manner inconsistent with management’s expectations could have a material impact on our financial condition and results of operations. See the section titled “—Results of operations—Comparison of the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023—Operating expenses—General and administrative” above for discussion of material changes in legal and other contingencies during the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023.
Recent accounting pronouncements
See Note 2. Summary of Significant Accounting Policies—Recent accounting pronouncements of the Notes to our Consolidated Financial Statements included in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K for a discussion of new accounting pronouncements adopted and not yet adopted as of the date of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
FY 2023 10-K MD&A
SEC filing source: 0001679788-24-000022.
Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
The following discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations should be read in conjunction with our consolidated financial statements and the accompanying notes thereto included elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. The following discussion and analysis contain forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties, as well as assumptions that, if they never materialize or prove incorrect, could cause our results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause or contribute to these differences include, but are not limited to, those identified below and those discussed in the section titled Risk Factors in Part I, Item 1A of this Annual Report on Form 10-K. Unless otherwise expressly stated or the context otherwise requires, references to “we,” “our,” “us,” “the Company,” and “Coinbase” refer to Coinbase Global, Inc. and its consolidated subsidiaries.
Executive Overview
This executive overview of Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations highlights selected information and does not contain all of the information that is important to readers of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
In 2023, we paired operational excellence with product innovation to deliver a strong year of execution against our product roadmap.
For the year ended December 31, 2023, our net revenue was $2.9 billion, including $1.5 billion in transaction revenue and $1.4 billion in subscription and services revenue. For the year ended December 31, 2022, our net revenue was $3.1 billion, including $2.4 billion in transaction revenue and $0.8 billion in subscription and services revenue.
For the year ended December 31, 2023, our net income was $0.1 billion and Adjusted EBITDA was $1.0 billion. For the year ended December 31, 2022, our net loss was $2.6 billion and Adjusted EBITDA was negative $0.4 billion.
Beyond the numbers, we accelerated product velocity and improved our existing product suite, while laying important foundations for future growth. We acquired key licenses, registrations and launched operations into six new markets.
In 2024 Coinbase will focus on three main priorities. First, driving revenue through improving our core trading and USDC. Second, driving utility in crypto with experiments in payments using USDC and Base. Lastly, we will continue to drive regulatory clarity for the industry. All told, Coinbase is a fundamentally stronger company today than a year ago, and we are in a strong financial position to capitalize on the opportunities ahead.
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Key Business Metrics
In addition to the measures presented in our consolidated financial statements, we use the key business metrics listed below to evaluate our business, measure our performance, identify trends affecting our business, and make strategic decisions:
| Year Ended December 31, | % Change | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2023 | 2022 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| MTUs (in millions) | 7.0 | 8.3 | 11.2 | (16) | (26) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Trading Volume (in billions) | $ | 468 | $ | 830 | $ | 1,671 | (44) | (50) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Net income (loss) (in millions) | $ | 95 | $ | (2,625) | $ | 3,624 | 104 | (172) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Adjusted EBITDA(1) (in millions) | $ | 964 | $ | (371) | $ | 4,090 | 360 | (109) |
___________________
(1)See the section titled “Non-GAAP Financial Measure” below for a reconciliation of net income (loss) to Adjusted EBITDA and an explanation for why we consider Adjusted EBITDA to be a helpful metric for investors.
Monthly Transacting Users
We define a Monthly Transacting User (“MTU”) as a consumer who actively or passively transacts in one or more products on our platform at least once during the rolling 28-day period ending on the date of measurement. MTUs presented for the end of a quarter are the average of each month’s MTUs in each respective quarter. MTUs presented as of the end of a year represent the MTUs for the last quarter of that year. The annual average MTUs for the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022, and 2021, were 7.4 million, 8.8 million and 8.4 million, respectively. MTUs engage in transactions that generate both transaction revenue and subscription and services revenue. Revenue-generating transactions include active transactions such as buying or selling crypto assets or passive transactions such as earning a staking reward. MTUs also engage in transactions that are non-revenue generating such as send and receive. MTUs may overstate the number of unique consumers due to differences in product architecture or user behavior.
MTUs declined for the year ended December 31, 2023 as compared to 2022 due to a 0.8 million decrease in staking users driven by updates to our staking service, which required users to manually opt-in to certain networks within a notice period and a 0.4 million decrease in trading users in line with lower Trading Volume. MTUs declined for the year ended December 31, 2022 as compared to 2021 driven primarily by a decline of 6.9 million in users engaging in trades on our platform in line with lower Trading Volume, partially offset by a 4.0 million increase in staking users due to the addition of new staking assets in 2022.
Trading Volume
We define “Trading Volume” as the total U.S. dollar equivalent value of spot matched trades transacted between a buyer and seller through our platform during the period of measurement. Trading Volume represents the product of the quantity of assets transacted and the trade price at the time the transaction was executed. As trading activity directly impacts transaction revenue, we believe this measure is a reflection of liquidity on our order books, trading health, and the underlying growth of the cryptoeconomy.
Generally, Trading Volume on our platform is primarily influenced by the price of crypto assets, crypto asset volatility, and macroeconomic conditions. In periods of high crypto asset prices and crypto asset volatility, we have experienced correspondingly high levels of Trading Volume on our platform.
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Our Trading Volume in future periods will depend on the relative availability and adoption of Bitcoin, Ethereum, and other crypto assets.
| Year Ended December 31, | % Change | ||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2023 | 2022 | |||||||||||||||
| Trading Volume (in billions): | |||||||||||||||||||
| Consumer | $ | 75 | $ | 167 | $ | 535 | (55) | (69) | |||||||||||
| Institutional | 393 | 663 | 1,136 | (41) | (42) | ||||||||||||||
| Total | $ | 468 | $ | 830 | $ | 1,671 | (44) | (50) | |||||||||||
| Trading Volume by crypto asset: | |||||||||||||||||||
| Bitcoin | 34 | % | 29 | % | 24 | % | 17 | 21 | |||||||||||
| Ethereum | 20 | 25 | 21 | (20) | 19 | ||||||||||||||
| USDT(1) | 11 | nm | nm | nm | nm | ||||||||||||||
| Other crypto assets | 35 | 46 | 55 | (24) | (16) | ||||||||||||||
| Total(2) | 100 | % | 100 | % | 100 | % | |||||||||||||
| Transaction revenue by crypto asset: | |||||||||||||||||||
| Bitcoin | 35 | % | 29 | % | 25 | % | 21 | 16 | |||||||||||
| Ethereum | 17 | 22 | 21 | (23) | 5 | ||||||||||||||
| Other crypto assets | 48 | 49 | 54 | (2) | (9) | ||||||||||||||
| Total(2) | 100 | % | 100 | % | 100 | % |
____________________________________
nm - not meaningful
(1)USDT is a stablecoin issued by Tether Operations Limited.
(2)Figures presented above may not sum precisely due to rounding.
For the year ended December 31, 2023 as compared to 2022, Trading Volume declined primarily due to a reduction in Crypto Asset Volatility1 of 43%, while crypto market capitalization remained resilient during the year ended December 31, 2023. The decline in volatility was a result of overall degraded crypto market sentiment, regulatory uncertainty, bank failures, and market shock events like the temporary de-pegging of USDC in March 2023, as well as an overall reduction in liquidity. Increases in the prices of various crypto assets during the fourth quarter of 2023 also impacted crypto asset volatility, overall industry trading volume, and more specifically our Trading Volume and transaction revenues. Partially offsetting these volume declines, USDT volume was elevated, largely due to de-pegging events which drove higher activity in secondary markets such as our trading platform.
For the year ended December 31, 2022 as compared to 2021, Trading Volume declined primarily due to decreased crypto market capitalization, reflecting decreased average crypto asset prices in general. The year 2022 and late 2021 saw trends of both lower crypto asset prices and a decrease of 32% in Crypto Asset Volatility for the year ended December 31, 2022 compared to 2021 driven by weaker macroeconomic conditions. Weakening market conditions were further exacerbated by two events in 2022. The first was the de-pegging of $LUNA which contributed to an approximately 60% crypto market capitalization decline in the second quarter of 2022 and ultimately drove the credit related bankruptcies of Three Arrows Capital, Voyager, and Celsius. The second event was the collapse of FTX in the fourth quarter of 2022, which drove additional credit related bankruptcies. These events contributed to an overall crypto market capitalization decline of 64% or approximately $1.5 trillion of value lost in 2022 which in turn
1 Crypto Asset Volatility represents our internal measure of crypto asset volatility in the market relative to prior periods. The volatility is based on intraday returns of a volume-weighted basket of all assets listed on our trading platform. These returns are used to compute the basket’s intraday volatility which is then scaled to a daily window. These daily volatility values are then averaged over the applicable time period as needed.
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impacted overall industry trading volume and more specifically our Trading Volume and transaction revenues.
During the year ended December 31, 2023, no asset other than Bitcoin, Ethereum, and USDT individually represented more than 10% of our Trading Volume and no asset other than Bitcoin and Ethereum individually represented more than 10% of our transaction revenue. During the year ended December 31, 2022, no asset other than Bitcoin or Ethereum individually represented more than 10% of either our Trading Volume or transaction revenue.
Components of Results of Operations
Revenue
We generate revenue from transactions, subscription and services, and other activities. The vast majority of our total revenue is generated in the United States, based on the domicile of the customers. No other country accounted for more than 10% of our total revenue during the periods presented.
Net revenue
Transaction revenue
We provide a trade matching service for users to buy, sell, or convert crypto assets through our platform. This trading activity is the primary source of our transaction revenue and core to the service we offer. Transaction revenue is generated primarily from transaction fees applied to spot trades that are executed by both consumer and institutional customers on our platform. The transaction fee earned is based on the price and quantity of the crypto asset that is bought, sold, or converted. Transaction revenue is recognized at the time the transaction is processed. Transaction revenue is directly correlated with Trading Volume, which is driven by the number of spot trade transactions processed on our platform. Institutional customers incur lower fees per transaction than consumer customers and, as a result, the impact of changes in consumer Trading Volume on transaction revenue is more pronounced than changes in institutional Trading Volume. In addition, changes in our pricing and mix between types of transactions will affect transaction revenue. See the section titled “—Key Business Metrics—Trading Volume” above for more information on our Trading Volume metric.
Subscription and services revenue
Subscription and services revenue primarily consists of:
•Stablecoin revenue: As a platform that facilitates crypto asset transactions, we derive stablecoin revenue from our arrangement with the issuer of USDC. We earn a pro rata portion of income earned on USDC reserves based on the amount of USDC held on each respective party’s platform, and from the distribution and usage of USDC after certain expenses. Income derived by us from this arrangement is dependent on various factors including the balance of USDC on our platform, the total market capitalization of USDC, and the prevailing interest rate environment.
•Blockchain rewards: We operate a proof-of-stake service that enables customers to stake eligible crypto assets and validate transactions on certain blockchain networks. This allows customers to earn rewards from the networks while maintaining ownership of their assets. We earn commission revenue from staking rewards received by customers that is calculated as a percentage of the amounts distributed.
•Interest income: We hold customer custodial funds and cash and cash equivalents at certain third-party banks which earn interest. Customers custodial funds balances vary depending on Trading Volume. As consumer Trading Volume increases, we generally see an increase in customer custodial funds on our platform. This revenue is also dependent on the prevailing interest rate environment. Additionally, we earn interest income on loans issued to our consumer and institutional customers. This interest income is dependent on total loans issued to customers
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and the prevailing interest rate environment. Interest earned on customer custodial funds and loans is included in interest income within subscription and services revenue, while interest earned on our corporate cash and cash equivalents is included in corporate interest and other income, within other revenue.
•Custodial fee revenue: We derive custodial fee revenue based on a percentage of the daily value of customer crypto assets that we hold under custody in our dedicated cold storage solution. The value of crypto assets held under custody is driven by the quantity, price, and type of crypto asset. Our custodial fee revenue is further dependent on the fee rates we charge to our customers.
•Other: Other subscription and services revenue primarily comprises revenue from: Coinbase One; Coinbase Cloud, which includes staking application, delegation, and infrastructure services; Prime Financing; and revenue from other subscription licenses.
Other revenue
Other revenue includes interest income earned on our corporate cash and cash equivalents. Interest income is calculated using the interest method and depends on the balance of cash and cash equivalents as well as the prevailing interest rate environment. Other revenue also includes the sale of crypto assets when we are the principal in the transaction, which occur primarily as a result of unanticipated system disruptions.
Operating expenses
Operating expenses consist of transaction expense, technology and development, sales and marketing, general and administrative, restructuring, crypto asset impairment, net, and other operating expense, net. Personnel-related expense in all of these categories includes employee cash and stock-based compensation expense.
Transaction expense
Transaction expense includes costs directly associated with revenues. For transaction revenues, these expenses include costs to operate our platform, process crypto asset trades, and perform wallet services. For subscription and services revenues, the primary expenses are the rewards distributed to users for staking their assets. Fixed-fee costs are expensed over the term of the contract and transaction-level costs are expensed as incurred.
Our transaction expenses as a percentage of revenue will vary depending on the composition of our revenue. For example, if interest income and stablecoin revenue increase as a percentage of net revenue, transaction expenses as a percentage of net revenue will decrease as there are no transaction expenses directly attributed to these revenues. Conversely, if blockchain rewards increase as a percentage of net revenue, transaction expenses as a percentage of net revenue will increase since the majority of blockchain rewards revenue is distributed to the customer. Additionally, transaction expenses can be impacted by the commission or fee we charge for staking our customers’ assets, as well as by transaction reversal losses.
Technology and development
Technology and development expenses comprise mainly personnel-related expenses incurred in operating, maintaining, and enhancing our platform and in developing new products and services. These costs also include website hosting and infrastructure expenses, and the amortization of internally developed and acquired developed technology. Certain costs of developing new products and services are capitalized to property and equipment, net.
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Sales and marketing
Sales and marketing expenses primarily include personnel-related expenses, marketing programs costs, and costs related to customer acquisition. Sales and marketing costs are expensed as incurred.
General and administrative
General and administrative expenses include personnel-related expenses incurred to support our business, including executive, customer support, compliance, finance, human resources, legal, and other support operations. These expenses also include costs of professional services and software subscriptions for support services.
Crypto asset impairment, net
Crypto asset impairment, net represents gross impairments recorded on crypto assets held, net of subsequent realized gains on the sale and disposal of previously impaired crypto assets held.
Restructuring
Restructuring expenses comprise separation pay, stock-based compensation, and other personnel costs related to reductions in our headcount. For more information, see Note 3. Restructuring of the Notes to our consolidated financial statements included in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
Other operating expense, net
Other operating expense, net includes fair value gains and losses related to derivatives and derivatives designated in qualifying fair value hedge accounting relationships, as well as platform-related incidents and losses. Because these components fluctuate with market conditions, other operating expense, net can vary widely between periods. From time to time we may make political contributions, which also get captured within other operating expense, net.
Interest expense
Interest expense on debt includes coupon interest expense, as well as amortization of debt discounts and debt issuance costs.
Other (income) expense, net
Other (income) expense, net includes the following items:
•net gains on the repurchase of certain of our long-term debt;
•realized foreign exchange impacts resulting from the settlement of our foreign currency assets and liabilities, and unrealized foreign exchange impacts resulting from remeasurement of transactions and monetary assets and liabilities denominated in non-functional currencies;
•impairment recognized on certain strategic equity investments in privately held companies without readily determinable fair values and gains and losses on investments, net, which consists primarily of realized and unrealized gains and losses from fair value adjustments; and
•unrealized gains and losses from fair value adjustments on certain financial instruments.
Because the majority of these components are generally variable based on changes in market conditions, they can vary widely from period to period.
Benefit from income taxes
Benefit from income taxes includes income taxes related to foreign jurisdictions and U.S. federal and state income taxes.
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Results of Operations
The following table summarizes the historical consolidated statements of operations data (in thousands) and each component as a percentage of total revenue:
| Year Ended December 31, | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| $ | %(1) | $ | %(1) | $ | %(1) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Revenue: | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Net revenue | $ | 2,926,540 | 94 | $ | 3,148,815 | 99 | $ | 7,354,753 | 94 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Other revenue | 181,843 | 6 | 45,393 | 1 | 484,691 | 6 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Total revenue | 3,108,383 | 100 | 3,194,208 | 100 | 7,839,444 | 100 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Operating expenses: | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Transaction expense | 420,705 | 14 | 629,880 | 20 | 1,267,924 | 16 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Technology and development | 1,324,541 | 43 | 2,326,354 | 73 | 1,291,561 | 16 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Sales and marketing | 332,312 | 11 | 510,089 | 16 | 663,689 | 9 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| General and administrative | 1,041,308 | 33 | 1,600,586 | 50 | 909,392 | 12 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Crypto asset impairment, net | (34,675) | (1) | 722,211 | 23 | 153,160 | 2 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Restructuring | 142,594 | 5 | 40,703 | 1 | — | — | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Other operating expense, net | 43,260 | 1 | 74,593 | 2 | 477,148 | 6 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Total operating expenses | 3,270,045 | 105 | 5,904,416 | 185 | 4,762,874 | 61 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Operating (loss) income | (161,662) | (5) | (2,710,208) | (85) | 3,076,570 | 39 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Interest expense | 82,766 | 3 | 88,901 | 3 | 29,160 | — | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Other (income) expense, net | (167,583) | (5) | 265,473 | 8 | 20,463 | — | |||||||||||||||||||||
| (Loss) income before income taxes | (76,845) | (2) | (3,064,582) | (96) | 3,026,947 | 39 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Benefit from income taxes | (171,716) | (6) | (439,633) | (14) | (597,173) | (7) | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Net income (loss) | $ | 94,871 | 3 | $ | (2,624,949) | (82) | $ | 3,624,120 | 46 |
__________________
(1)Percentage of total revenue. Figures presented above may not sum precisely due to rounding.
Comparison of the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022, and 2021
Revenue
| Year Ended December 31, | Change | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 2022 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | $ | % | $ | % | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| (in thousands) | (in thousands) | (in thousands) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Transaction revenue | $ | 1,519,654 | $ | 2,356,244 | $ | 6,837,266 | $ | (836,590) | (36) | $ | (4,481,022) | (66) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Subscription and services revenue | 1,406,886 | 792,571 | 517,487 | 614,315 | 78 | 275,084 | 53 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Other revenue | 181,843 | 45,393 | 484,691 | 136,450 | 301 | (439,298) | (91) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Total revenue | $ | 3,108,383 | $ | 3,194,208 | $ | 7,839,444 | $ | (85,825) | (3) | $ | (4,645,236) | (59) |
For the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021, we generated 88%, 84% and 81%, respectively, of total revenue in the United States. No other country accounted for more than 10% of total revenue during the years presented.
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Transaction revenue
| Year Ended December 31, | Change | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 2022 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | $ | % | $ | % | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| (in thousands) | (in thousands) | (in thousands) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Consumer, net | $ | 1,429,490 | $ | 2,236,900 | $ | 6,490,992 | $ | (807,410) | (36) | $ | (4,254,092) | (66) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Institutional, net | 90,164 | 119,344 | 346,274 | (29,180) | (24) | (226,930) | (66) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Total transaction revenue | $ | 1,519,654 | $ | 2,356,244 | $ | 6,837,266 | $ | (836,590) | (36) | $ | (4,481,022) | (66) |
Transaction revenue declined for the year ended December 31, 2023 as compared to 2022, primarily due to:
•a $1.2 billion reduction in consumer transaction revenue attributed to a corresponding 55% decrease in consumer Trading Volume. This decrease was offset in part by an increase of $418.8 million attributed to changes in customer mix towards trades which have higher fees and pricing changes as we increased the spread on certain types of consumer trades in 2023, which led to an overall increase in average blended fee rate of 41%.
Transaction revenue declined for the year ended December 31, 2022 as compared to 2021, primarily due to:
•a $4.5 billion reduction in consumer transaction revenue attributed to a corresponding 69% decrease in consumer Trading Volume. This decrease was offset in part by an increase of $222.9 million attributed to changes in customer mix towards trades which have higher fees and pricing changes as we increased the spread on certain types of consumer trades in 2022, which led to an overall increase in average blended fee rate of 11%; and
•a decrease of $144.0 million in institutional transaction revenue attributed to a decline in institutional Trading Volume of 42%, as well as a decrease of $82.9 million driven by lower fees associated with our market maker program, which led to an overall decrease in average blended fee rate of 41%.
Subscription and services revenue
| Year Ended December 31, | Change | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 2022 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | $ | % | $ | % | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| (in thousands) | (in thousands) | (in thousands) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Stablecoin revenue | $ | 694,247 | $ | 245,710 | $ | 9,882 | $ | 448,537 | 183 | $ | 235,828 | nm | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Blockchain rewards | 330,885 | 275,507 | 223,055 | 55,378 | 20 | 52,452 | 24 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Interest income | 173,914 | 81,246 | 15,953 | 92,668 | 114 | 65,293 | 409 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Custodial fee revenue | 69,501 | 79,847 | 136,293 | (10,346) | (13) | (56,446) | (41) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Other subscription and services revenue | 138,339 | 110,261 | 132,304 | 28,078 | 25 | (22,043) | (17) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Total subscription and services revenue | $ | 1,406,886 | $ | 792,571 | $ | 517,487 | $ | 614,315 | 78 | $ | 275,084 | 53 |
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Subscription and services revenue increased for the year ended December 31, 2023 as compared to 2022, primarily due to:
•higher stablecoin revenue attributable to higher average earned interest rates on USDC reserves, which rose 325 basis points or 217.5%;
•an increase in blockchain rewards from higher staked balances for certain assets resulting primarily from increased user participation in reward generating activities;
•an increase of $229.6 million in interest income generated on customer custodial cash, reflecting higher average earned interest rates, which were up 295 basis points or 343%. This was offset in part by a $133.7 million decline due to lower average balances of customer custodial cash. These balances decreased 45% attributable to crypto market sentiment discussed in the section titled “—Key Business Metrics” above; and
•a decrease in custodial fee revenue, primarily due to a decline in average assets under custody of $3.6 billion, as price effects drove down the value of assets under custody.
There were no material changes to note within other subscription and services revenue.
Subscription and services revenue increased for the year ended December 31, 2022 as compared to 2021, primarily due to:
•higher stablecoin revenue attributable to higher average earned interest rates on USDC reserves, which rose 136 basis points or 969%;
•an increase in blockchain rewards due to the addition of new assets available for staking; and
•an increase in interest income generated on customer custodial cash attributable to higher average earned interest rates, which were up 78 basis points or 975%; offset in part by
•a decrease in custodial fee revenue, primarily due to a decrease in average assets under custody of $48.3 billion, as price effects drove down the value of assets under custody.
There were no material changes to note within other subscription and services revenue.
Other revenue
| Year Ended December 31, | Change | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 2022 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | $ | % | $ | % | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| (in thousands) | (in thousands) | (in thousands) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Corporate interest and other income | $ | 181,827 | $ | 44,768 | $ | 2,141 | $ | 137,059 | 306 | $ | 42,627 | nm | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Crypto asset sales revenue | 16 | 625 | 482,550 | (609) | (97) | $ | (481,925) | (100) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Total other revenue | $ | 181,843 | $ | 45,393 | $ | 484,691 | $ | 136,450 | 301 | $ | (439,298) | (91) |
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nm - not meaningful
Other revenue increased for the year ended December 31, 2023 as compared to 2022, primarily due to higher corporate interest and other income, as average earned interest rates on corporate balances rose 278 basis points or 157%.
Other revenue decreased for the year ended December 31, 2022 as compared to 2021, primarily due to higher crypto asset sales in 2021 as a result of unanticipated system disruptions.
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Operating expenses
| Year Ended December 31, | Change | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 2022 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | $ | % | $ | % | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| (in thousands) | (in thousands) | (in thousands) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Transaction expense | $ | 420,705 | $ | 629,880 | $ | 1,267,924 | $ | (209,175) | (33) | $ | (638,044) | (50) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Technology and development | 1,324,541 | 2,326,354 | 1,291,561 | (1,001,813) | (43) | 1,034,793 | 80 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sales and marketing | 332,312 | 510,089 | 663,689 | (177,777) | (35) | (153,600) | (23) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| General and administrative | 1,041,308 | 1,600,586 | 909,392 | (559,278) | (35) | 691,194 | 76 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Crypto asset impairment, net | (34,675) | 722,211 | 153,160 | (756,886) | (105) | 569,051 | 372 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Restructuring | 142,594 | 40,703 | — | 101,891 | 250 | 40,703 | — | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Other operating expense, net | 43,260 | 74,593 | 477,148 | (31,333) | (42) | (402,555) | (84) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Total operating expenses | $ | 3,270,045 | $ | 5,904,416 | $ | 4,762,874 | $ | (2,634,371) | (45) | $ | 1,141,542 | 24 |
There were material trends of decreased operating expenses for the year ended December 31, 2023 as compared to 2022 following increased operating expenses for the year ended December 31, 2022 as compared to 2021. In early 2023, we set a financial objective to generate positive Adjusted EBITDA in all crypto market conditions. This goal led us to materially reduce our operating expenses in 2023 as compared to 2022. We plan to be nimble and dynamically increase or decrease our expense base in accordance with overall macro market conditions and revenue opportunities to achieve our goal of positive Adjusted EBITDA. In the first quarter of 2024, we expect modest growth in technology and development and general and administrative as compared to the fourth quarter of 2023. In addition, we also expect a modest decline in sales and marketing expenses compared to the fourth quarter of 2023.
Transaction expense
| Year Ended December 31, | Change | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 2022 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | $ | % | $ | % | |||||||||||||||||||||
| (in thousands) | (in thousands) | (in thousands) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Blockchain rewards fees | $ | 229,851 | $ | 202,480 | $ | 146,769 | $ | 27,371 | 14 | $ | 55,711 | 38 | |||||||||||||||
| Payment processing and account verification | 73,816 | 194,044 | 341,013 | (120,228) | (62) | (146,969) | (43) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Transaction reversal losses | 51,501 | 93,886 | 233,832 | (42,385) | (45) | (139,946) | (60) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Miner fees | 49,789 | 131,714 | 542,889 | (81,925) | (62) | (411,175) | (76) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Other | 15,748 | 7,756 | 3,421 | 7,992 | 103 | 4,335 | 127 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Total transaction expense | $ | 420,705 | $ | 629,880 | $ | 1,267,924 | $ | (209,175) | (33) | $ | (638,044) | (50) |
Transaction expense decreased for the year ended December 31, 2023 as compared to 2022, primarily due to:
•an increase in blockchain rewards largely due to higher staked balances; offset by
•a decrease in payment processing and account verification expenses, mainly due to a decline in Trading Volume of 44%;
•a decrease in transaction reversal losses as a result of the lower Trading Volumes noted above, combined with our efforts to reduce reversals through optimization of our fraud monitoring processes; and
•a decrease in miner fees as a result of optimizations in onchain activity.
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Transaction expense decreased for the year ended December 31, 2022 as compared to 2021, primarily due to:
◦an increase in blockchain rewards as a result of the addition of new assets available for staking; offset by
◦a decrease in payment processing and account verification expenses, driven primarily by a decline in Trading Volume of 50%;
◦a decrease in transaction reversal losses as a result of the lower Trading Volumes noted above, combined with our efforts to reduce reversals through optimization of our fraud monitoring processes; and
◦a decrease in miner fees driven by a decrease in blockchain transmission volume.
Technology and development expense
| Year Ended December 31, | Change | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 2022 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | $ | % | $ | % | ||||||||||||||||||||
| (in thousands) | (in thousands) | (in thousands) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personnel-related | $ | 936,881 | $ | 1,638,685 | $ | 958,387 | $ | (701,804) | (43) | $ | 680,298 | 71 | ||||||||||||||
| Website hosting and infrastructure expenses | 192,009 | 439,798 | 241,740 | (247,789) | (56) | 198,058 | 82 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Amortization expense | 111,336 | 121,534 | 38,112 | (10,198) | (8) | 83,422 | 219 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Other | 84,315 | 126,337 | 53,322 | (42,022) | (33) | 73,015 | 137 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Total technology and development expenses | $ | 1,324,541 | $ | 2,326,354 | $ | 1,291,561 | $ | (1,001,813) | (43) | $ | 1,034,793 | 80 |
Technology and development expenses decreased for the year ended December 31, 2023, as compared to 2022, primarily due to:
•lower personnel-related expenses, driven by a 24% decrease in average headcount following our workforce reduction in January 2023. This decrease in headcount reduced personnel-related expenses by $454.2 million, and included the impact of stock-based compensation. Further, stock-based compensation decreased by an additional $247.6 million due to the roll-off of non-recurring multi-year stock-based compensation awards; and
•a decrease in website hosting and infrastructure expenses due to our investments in more efficient and modern infrastructure and architecture, both in our customer-facing products and internal tooling.
There were no material changes to note within amortization expense or other.
Technology and development expenses increased for the year ended December 31, 2022 as compared to 2021, primarily due to:
•higher personnel-related expenses, including a $518.9 million increase in stock-based compensation expense, reflecting an 87% increase in average headcount and the full-year impact of equity instruments issued in conjunction with business combinations that occurred throughout 2021 and early in 2022;
•a $143.0 million increase in website hosting costs as we continued to invest in our products and platform, and a $55.1 million increase in software licenses driven by the increase in average headcount; and
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•an increase in amortization expense, related to amortization of capitalized software and assembled workforce.
There were no material changes to note within other.
Sales and marketing expense
| Year Ended December 31, | Change | |||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 2022 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | $ | % | $ | % | ||||||||||||||||||
| (in thousands) | (in thousands) | (in thousands) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personnel-related | $ | 143,762 | $ | 146,157 | $ | 86,555 | $ | (2,395) | (2) | $ | 59,602 | 69 | ||||||||||||
| Marketing programs | 119,494 | 292,770 | 474,773 | (173,276) | (59) | (182,003) | (38) | |||||||||||||||||
| Other | 69,056 | 71,162 | 102,361 | (2,106) | (3) | (31,199) | (30) | |||||||||||||||||
| Total sales and marketing expenses | $ | 332,312 | $ | 510,089 | $ | 663,689 | $ | (177,777) | (35) | $ | (153,600) | (23) |
Sales and marketing expenses decreased for the year ended December 31, 2023, as compared to 2022, primarily due to:
•reduced media and brand spend as we actively lowered our investment given the decline in year-over-year revenue.
There were no material changes to note within personnel-related expenses and other.
Sales and marketing expenses decreased for the year ended December 31, 2022 as compared to 2021, primarily due to:
•higher personnel-related expenses, including a $41.2 million increase in stock-based compensation expense, due to a 109% increase in average headcount; offset by
•a decrease in marketing programs, primarily due to a $316.5 million reduction in digital advertising spend due to lower investment in paid media, offset in part by $128.7 million higher offline and brand spend; and
•a decrease of $32.4 million in referral and promotion fees related to marketing initiatives such as sweepstakes and incentivized campaigns, included within other.
General and administrative expense
| Year Ended December 31, | Change | |||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 2022 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | $ | % | $ | % | ||||||||||||||||||
| (in thousands) | (in thousands) | (in thousands) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personnel-related (excluding customer support) | $ | 498,626 | $ | 614,661 | $ | 384,065 | $ | (116,035) | (19) | $ | 230,596 | 60 | ||||||||||||
| Customer support | 133,726 | 476,351 | 186,285 | (342,625) | (72) | 290,066 | 156 | |||||||||||||||||
| Professional services | 168,731 | 150,695 | 79,659 | 18,036 | 12 | 71,036 | 89 | |||||||||||||||||
| Other | 240,225 | 358,879 | 259,383 | (118,654) | (33) | 99,496 | 38 | |||||||||||||||||
| Total general and administrative expenses | $ | 1,041,308 | $ | 1,600,586 | $ | 909,392 | $ | (559,278) | (35) | $ | 691,194 | 76 |
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General and administrative expenses decreased for the year ended December 31, 2023, as compared to 2022, primarily due to:
•a decrease in personnel-related expenses (excluding customer support), driven primarily by a 17% decrease in average headcount, as a result of the workforce reduction in January 2023;
•a decrease in customer support costs, reflecting $242.7 million of reductions in costs of managed services to support compliance operations and customer experience, driven by automation and an overall reduction in capacity needs that we built in 2022, and a decrease of $99.9 million in customer support personnel-related expenses resulting from the workforce reduction discussed above; and
•a decrease in other general and administrative expenses, largely driven by $37.2 million in lower taxes, licenses, and fees, as the prior year included incremental costs related to the application of certain indirect tax rules, as well as a $50.0 million one-time cost accrual related to the settlement with NYDFS in 2022.
General and administrative expenses increased for the year ended December 31, 2022, as compared to 2021, primarily due to:
•an increase in personnel-related expenses excluding customer support, driven primarily by a 92% increase in average headcount;
•an increase in customer support costs, reflecting a $198.8 million increase in costs of managed services to support compliance operations and customer experience, as a result of increased capacity needs to address backlogs from 2021, and an increase of $91.3 million in customer support personnel-related expenses;
•an increase in professional services, reflecting $32.9 million in higher legal fees related to litigation, regulatory, and compliance and an increase of $30.2 million in business consulting; and
•an increase in other general and administrative expenses, largely driven by $75.1 million in higher settlement costs, which included a $50.0 million accrual related to the settlement with NYDFS, and $22.1 million in incremental software license costs to support business, security, and risk applications, partially offset by a decrease of $39.2 million in costs associated with our Direct Listing in 2021.
Crypto asset impairment, net
| Year Ended December 31, | Change | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 2022 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | $ | % | $ | % | |||||||||||||||||||||
| (in thousands) | (in thousands) | (in thousands) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Gross crypto asset impairment expense | $ | 96,783 | $ | 757,257 | $ | 329,152 | $ | (660,474) | (87) | $ | 428,105 | 130 | |||||||||||||||
| Recoveries | (131,458) | (35,046) | (175,992) | (96,412) | 275 | 140,946 | (80) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Total crypto asset impairment, net | $ | (34,675) | $ | 722,211 | $ | 153,160 | $ | (756,886) | (105) | $ | 569,051 | 372 |
Crypto asset impairment expense, net decreased during the year ended December 31, 2023 as compared to 2022, driven by gross crypto asset impairments in the prior year from the challenging crypto market conditions discussed in the section titled “—Key Business Metrics” above, which resulted in lower carrying values of crypto assets held in the current year. These impairments were offset in part by higher expense recoveries as we sold previously impaired assets at recovered prices.
Crypto asset impairment, net increased during the year ended December 31, 2022 as compared to
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2021, as higher impairment expense was recognized in 2022 as a result of the challenging crypto market conditions discussed in the section titled “—Key Business Metrics” above. Additionally, lower subsequent crypto asset sales and disposals of previously impaired assets led to decreased impairment recoveries recognized in 2022.
Effective January 1, 2024 we adopted Accounting Standard Update 2023-08, Accounting for and Disclosure of Crypto Assets (“ASU 2023-08”) which will change how we value crypto assets held, as we will be required to recognize such assets at fair value with changes recognized in net income each reporting period.
Restructuring expense
Restructuring expense was $142.6 million for the year ended December 31, 2023 and was driven by separation pay, stock-based compensation expense relating to the acceleration of the vesting of outstanding equity awards in accordance with the terms of such awards, and other personnel costs related to the workforce reduction in January 2023.
Restructuring expense was $40.7 million for the year ended December 31, 2022 and was driven by separation pay and other personnel costs related to the workforce reduction in June 2022 and the subsequent release of accruals of certain costs related thereto that were not utilized.
There was no restructuring expense for the year ended December 31, 2021.
Other operating expense, net
| Year Ended December 31, | Change | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 2022 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | $ | % | $ | % | |||||||||||||||||||||
| (in thousands) | (in thousands) | (in thousands) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Platform-related incidents and losses | $ | 15,717 | $ | 80,916 | $ | 61,732 | $ | (65,199) | (81) | $ | 19,184 | 31 | |||||||||||||||
| Gains on derivatives | (17,127) | (12,625) | (21,329) | (4,502) | 36 | 8,704 | (41) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Customer accommodation transaction costs | 16 | 529 | 435,971 | (513) | (97) | (435,442) | (100) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Other | 44,654 | 5,773 | 774 | 38,881 | 673 | 4,999 | 646 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Total other operating expense, net | $ | 43,260 | $ | 74,593 | $ | 477,148 | $ | (31,333) | (42) | $ | (402,555) | (84) |
Changes in other operating expense, net for the year ended December 31, 2023 as compared to 2022 primarily reflect:
•lower platform-related incidents and losses as a result of implementing stronger monitoring processes and controls to mitigate incidents on our platform; and
•an increase of $33.0 million related to political contributions included within other.
There were no material changes to note within gains on derivatives and customer accommodation transaction costs.
Changes in other operating expense, net for the year ended December 31, 2022 as compared to 2021 primarily reflect:
•lower customer accommodation transactions costs, as 2021 included incremental crypto assets sold as a result of unanticipated system disruptions.
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There were no material changes to note within platform-related incidents and losses, gains on derivatives, and other.
Interest expense
| Year Ended December 31, | Change | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 2022 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | $ | % | $ | % | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| (in thousands) | (in thousands) | (in thousands) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Interest expense | $ | 82,766 | $ | 88,901 | $ | 29,160 | $ | (6,135) | (7) | $ | 59,741 | 205 |
There were no material changes in interest expense for the year ended December 31, 2023 as compared to 2022. The increase in interest expense for the year ended December 31, 2022 as compared to 2021 was primarily due to a full-year impact of interest expense recognized on our 2026 Convertible Notes that were issued in May 2021 and our Senior Notes that were issued in September 2021.
Other (income) expense, net
| Year Ended December 31, | Change | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 2022 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | $ | % | $ | % | |||||||||||||||||||
| (in thousands) | (in thousands) | (in thousands) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Foreign exchange losses, net | $ | 10,609 | $ | 161,749 | $ | 40,989 | $ | (151,140) | (93) | $ | 120,760 | 295 | |||||||||||||
| (Gains) losses on strategic investments | (24,368) | 101,219 | (19,602) | (125,587) | (124) | 120,821 | (616) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Gain on extinguishment of long-term debt | (117,383) | — | — | (117,383) | 100 | — | — | ||||||||||||||||||
| Other | (36,441) | 2,505 | (924) | (38,946) | nm | 3,429 | (371) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Total other (income) expense, net | $ | (167,583) | $ | 265,473 | $ | 20,463 | $ | (433,056) | (163) | $ | 245,010 | nm |
__________________
nm - not meaningful
Other (income) expense, net changed for the year ended December 31, 2023, as compared to 2022, primarily due to:
•a decrease in net foreign exchange losses due to improvement in foreign exchange risk management;
•net gains on strategic investments driven by a gain of $49.9 million resulting from an equity investment transaction with Circle US Holdings, Inc. in 2023 and a decrease in the amount of impairment expense recognized on certain strategic equity investments;
•a gain on the repurchase of certain of our 2026 Convertible Notes and Senior Notes during 2023. See Note 14. Indebtedness of the Notes to our consolidated financial statements included in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K for further information; and
•a decrease in other driven by the inclusion of a $26.9 million unrealized gain in 2023 related to fair value adjustments on certain financial instruments.
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Other (income) expense, net changed for the year ended December 31, 2022, as compared to 2021, primarily due to:
•an increase in net foreign exchange losses due to the timing of Euro denominated intercompany settlements and an 11% and 10% depreciation of the average exchange rates for the Euro and the British Pound, respectively, against the U.S. dollar in 2022, and realized losses on foreign exchange forward derivative contracts of $59.1 million; and
•an increase in the amount of impairment expense recognized on certain strategic equity investments.
There were no material changes to note within other.
Benefit from income taxes
| Year Ended December 31, | Change | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 2022 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | $ | % | $ | % | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| (in thousands) | (in thousands) | (in thousands) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Benefit from income taxes | $ | (171,716) | $ | (439,633) | $ | (597,173) | $ | 267,917 | (61) | $ | 157,540 | (26) |
The benefit from income taxes decreased for the year ended December 31, 2023 as compared to 2022 primarily due to lower tax benefits from a reduction of pretax loss, partially offset by a reduction in the valuation allowance recorded on impairment charges and additional tax benefits for stock-based compensation.
The benefit from income taxes decreased for the year ended December 31, 2022 as compared to 2021 primarily due to a reduction in tax benefits relating to stock-based compensation and research and development credits, and a valuation allowance recorded on impairment charges, offset by an increase in tax benefit on pretax loss.
Non-GAAP Financial Measure
In addition to our results determined in accordance with GAAP, we believe Adjusted EBITDA, a non-GAAP financial measure, is useful in evaluating our operating performance. We use Adjusted EBITDA to evaluate our ongoing operations and 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. There are a number of limitations related to Adjusted EBITDA rather than net income (loss), which is the nearest GAAP equivalent of Adjusted EBITDA. Some of these limitations are Adjusted EBITDA excludes:
•benefit from income taxes;
•interest expense, or the cash requirements necessary to service interest or principal payments on our debt, which reduces cash available to us;
•depreciation and intangible assets amortization expense and, although these are non-cash expenses, the assets being depreciated and amortized may have to be replaced in the future;
•stock-based compensation expense, which has been, and will continue to be for the foreseeable future, a significant recurring expense for our business and an important part of our compensation strategy;
•other impairment expense, which represents impairment on property and equipment and intangible assets and is infrequent in nature and is a non-cash adjustment;
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•non-recurring accrued legal contingencies, settlements, and related costs, which reduces cash available to us;
•non-recurring expenses related to our Direct Listing in April 2021;
•impairment on crypto assets still held, net, represents impairment on crypto assets still held and is a non-cash expense, which has been recurring, and may in the future recur, although the crypto assets impaired may be sold in the future at a price at or higher than the price the assets have been impaired to;
•the impact of restructuring, which is infrequent and not related to normal operations but impacted our results in 2022 and 2023;
•the impact of fair value gain or loss on derivatives, a non-cash expense, which has been recurring, and may in the future recur;
•the impact of crypto asset borrowing costs, a non-cash expense, which is similar in nature to interest expense on our crypto asset borrowings, which has been recurring, and may in the future recur;
•gain on extinguishment of long-term debt due to repurchases prior to maturity, a non-cash adjustment, which has been recurring, and may in the future recur;
•gain or loss on investments, which represents net gains on investments and impairment on investments, net, a non-cash expense, which has been recurring, and may in the future recur, although the impaired investments may be sold in the future at a price lower, at or higher than the price the assets have been impaired to;
•the impact of unrealized foreign exchange gains or losses and fair value adjustments on foreign exchange derivatives for hedging activities, non-cash adjustments, which have been recurring, and may in the future recur; and
•a non-recurring fee and write-off related to an early lease termination, a non-recurring accrual for value-added tax related to our Irish operations, and non-cash unrealized gains or losses on contingent consideration, which we have consolidated into the line item “other adjustments, net” because they are not material individually.
In addition, other companies, including companies in our industry, may calculate Adjusted EBITDA differently or may use other measures to evaluate their performance, all of which could reduce the usefulness of our disclosure of Adjusted EBITDA as a tool for comparison. A reconciliation is provided below for Adjusted EBITDA to net income (loss), the most directly comparable financial measure stated, in accordance with GAAP. Investors are encouraged to review the related GAAP financial measure and the reconciliation of Adjusted EBITDA to net income (loss), and not to rely on any single financial measure to evaluate our business.
We calculate Adjusted EBITDA as net loss or income, adjusted to exclude provision for or benefit from income taxes, interest expense, depreciation and amortization, stock-based compensation expense, other impairment expense, non-recurring accrued legal contingencies, settlements, and related costs, non-recurring Direct Listing expenses, impairment on crypto assets still held, net, restructuring, fair value gain or loss on derivatives, crypto asset borrowing costs, gain on extinguishment of long-term debt, net, loss or gain on investments, net, unrealized foreign exchange gain or loss, and other adjustments, net.
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The following table provides a reconciliation of net income (loss) to Adjusted EBITDA:
| Year Ended December 31, | ||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| (in thousands) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Net income (loss) | $ | 94,871 | $ | (2,624,949) | $ | 3,624,120 | ||||||||||||||||
| Adjusted to exclude the following: | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Benefit from income taxes | (171,716) | (439,633) | (597,173) | |||||||||||||||||||
| Interest expense | 82,766 | 88,901 | 29,160 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Depreciation and amortization | 139,642 | 154,069 | 63,651 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Stock-based compensation | 780,668 | 1,565,823 | 820,685 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Other impairment expense | 18,793 | 26,518 | 500 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Non-recurring accrued legal contingencies, settlements, and related costs | 15,000 | 64,250 | 1,500 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Non-recurring Direct Listing expenses | — | — | 39,160 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Impairment on crypto assets still held, net | 29,481 | 592,495 | 119,421 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Restructuring | 142,594 | 40,703 | — | |||||||||||||||||||
| Fair value (gain) loss on derivatives | (41,033) | 7,410 | (32,056) | |||||||||||||||||||
| Crypto asset borrowing costs | 4,807 | 6,675 | 11,847 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Gain on extinguishment of long-term debt, net | (117,383) | — | — | |||||||||||||||||||
| (Gain) loss on investments, net | (20,826) | 101,445 | — | |||||||||||||||||||
| Unrealized foreign exchange loss (gain) | 17,190 | 28,516 | (14,944) | |||||||||||||||||||
| Other adjustments, net | (11,200) | 16,379 | 24,200 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Adjusted EBITDA | $ | 963,654 | $ | (371,398) | $ | 4,090,071 |
Liquidity and Capital Resources
We believe our existing cash and cash equivalents and USDC will be sufficient in both the short and long term to meet our requirements and plans for cash, including meeting our working capital and capital expenditure requirements. Our ability to meet our requirements and plans for cash, including meeting our working capital and capital expenditure requirements, will depend on many factors, including market acceptance of crypto assets and blockchain technology, our growth, our ability to attract and retain customers on our platform, the continuing market acceptance of our products and services, the introduction of new subscription products and services on our platform, expansion of sales and marketing activities, and overall economic conditions. We anticipate satisfying our short-term cash requirements with our existing cash and cash equivalents and USDC and may satisfy our long-term cash requirements with cash and cash equivalents and USDC on hand or with proceeds from a future equity or debt financing.
To the extent that current and anticipated future sources of liquidity are insufficient to fund our future business activities and cash and other requirements, we may be required to seek additional equity or debt financing. The sale of additional equity would result in additional dilution to our stockholders. The incurrence of additional debt financing would result in debt service obligations and the instruments governing such debt could provide for operating and financing covenants that would restrict our operations. As a result of our credit rating downgrade, our ability to raise additional financing from external sources in the future may be adversely affected and we may not be able to raise capital on terms acceptable to us or at all. In addition, even if debt financing is available, the cost of additional financing may be significantly higher than our current debt.
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Cash and cash equivalents, restricted cash, and USDC
As of December 31, 2023 and 2022, our cash and cash equivalents, restricted cash, and USDC balances consisted of the following (in thousands):
| December 31, | December 31, | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 2022 | |||||
| Cash and cash equivalents: | ||||||
| Cash equivalents(1) | $ | 3,682,917 | $ | 2,250,065 | ||
| Cash held at banks | 1,367,643 | 2,031,749 | ||||
| Cash held at venues(2) | 88,791 | 143,207 | ||||
| Total cash and cash equivalents | $ | 5,139,351 | $ | 4,425,021 | ||
| Restricted cash(3) | $ | 22,992 | $ | 25,873 | ||
| USDC(4) | 576,028 | 861,149 |
__________________
(1) Cash equivalents consists of money market funds denominated in U.S. dollars.
(2) Venues include other crypto asset trading platforms that hold money transmitter licenses and payment processors. This amount excludes $4.7 million and $1.6 million of cash that is subject to restrictions on withdrawal as of December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively.
(3) Restricted cash consists primarily of amounts held in restricted bank accounts at certain third-party banks as security deposits.
(4) USDC is a stablecoin redeemable on a one-to-one basis for U.S. dollars. While not accounted for as cash or cash equivalents, we treat our USDC holdings as a liquidity resource.
Debt
In September 2021, we issued $2.0 billion in Senior Notes consisting of $1.0 billion of 2028 Senior Notes due on October 1, 2028 and $1.0 billion of 2031 Senior Notes due on October 1, 2031. In May 2021, we issued an aggregate of $1.4 billion of 2026 Convertible Notes that mature on June 1, 2026, unless converted, redeemed or repurchased on an earlier date. We periodically issue short-term debt to support certain business operations.
As market conditions warrant, we may, from time to time, repurchase our outstanding debt securities in the open market, in privately negotiated transactions, by exchange transaction or otherwise. Such repurchases, if any, will depend on prevailing market conditions, our liquidity and other factors and may be commenced or suspended at any time. The amounts involved and total consideration paid may be material. In 2023, we repurchased $427.0 million in aggregate principal amount of our outstanding debt securities for cash payments aggregating $303.5 million. Following the close of these transactions, the remaining outstanding principal balance of the 2026 Convertible Notes, 2028 Senior Notes, and 2031 Senior Notes was approximately $1.3 billion, $1.0 billion, and $0.7 billion, respectively, for a total remaining outstanding principal balance of $3.0 billion as of December 31, 2023.
See Notes 12. Accrued Expenses and Other Current Liabilities and 14. Indebtedness of the Notes to our consolidated financial statements included in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K for further information regarding our short and long-term borrowings, respectively.
In January 2023, S&P Global Ratings announced a downgrade of our issuer credit rating and senior unsecured debt from BB to BB-, and Moody’s Investors Service (“Moody’s”) announced a downgrade of our Corporate Family Rating (“CFR”) to B2 from Ba3 and downgraded our guaranteed senior unsecured notes to B1 from Ba2. As of December 31, 2023, our credit ratings with S&P Global Ratings and Moody’s remain unchanged from these downgraded levels.
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Crypto assets
We hold crypto assets for investment, operating and borrowing purposes. Our future earnings and cash flows will be impacted when we choose to monetize our crypto assets and the variability of our earnings on these transactions will be dependent on the future fair value of such crypto assets. We have limited ability to predict whether the sale of crypto assets received from airdrops or forks will be material to our future earnings, which is dependent on the future market liquidity, viability and fair value of such crypto assets. Our current policy is not to monetize unsupported forks or airdrops held on our platform. Crypto assets received through airdrops and forks, at the time of the airdrop or fork and at the end of the periods presented, are not material to our financial statements.
As of December 31, 2023 and 2022, the carrying value and fair values of our crypto assets held were as follows (in thousands):
| December 31, | December 31, | |||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 2022 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Carrying Value | Fair Value(2) | Carrying Value | Fair Value(2) | |||||||||||||||||||
| Recorded at Cost(1) | Recorded at Fair Value | Recorded at Cost(1) | Recorded at Fair Value | |||||||||||||||||||
| Crypto assets held as investments: | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bitcoin(3) | $ | 126,614 | $ | — | $ | 388,326 | $ | 21,837 | $ | 89,716 | $ | 151,792 | ||||||||||
| Ethereum(3) | 129,131 | — | 272,411 | 47,531 | 43,700 | 138,714 | ||||||||||||||||
| Solana | 6,611 | — | 61,166 | 2,710 | — | 2,884 | ||||||||||||||||
| Other | 68,254 | — | 306,060 | 83,173 | — | 132,879 | ||||||||||||||||
| Total held as investments | 330,610 | — | 1,027,963 | 155,251 | 133,416 | 426,269 | ||||||||||||||||
| Crypto assets held for operating purposes: | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bitcoin | 7,243 | — | 9,006 | 5,390 | — | 5,833 | ||||||||||||||||
| Ethereum | 15,775 | — | 20,176 | 24,405 | — | 25,796 | ||||||||||||||||
| Solana | 10,275 | — | 11,625 | 1,767 | — | 2,057 | ||||||||||||||||
| Other | 40,810 | — | 71,617 | 36,015 | — | 57,070 | ||||||||||||||||
| Total held for operating purposes | 74,103 | — | 112,424 | 67,577 | — | 90,756 | ||||||||||||||||
| Crypto assets borrowed: | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bitcoin | — | 36,368 | 36,368 | — | 68,149 | 68,149 | ||||||||||||||||
| Ethereum | — | 3,720 | 3,720 | — | — | — | ||||||||||||||||
| Solana | — | 3,516 | 3,516 | — | — | — | ||||||||||||||||
| Other | — | 1,608 | 1,608 | — | — | — | ||||||||||||||||
| Total borrowed | — | 45,212 | 45,212 | — | 68,149 | 68,149 | ||||||||||||||||
| Total crypto assets held | $ | 404,713 | $ | 45,212 | $ | 1,185,599 | $ | 222,828 | $ | 201,565 | $ | 585,174 |
__________________
(1)Cost amounts shown are net of impairment recognized.
(2)The fair value of crypto assets held is the fair value of assets recorded at cost plus assets recorded at fair value and is based on quoted market prices for one unit of each crypto asset reported on our platform at 11:59 pm Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) on the last day of the respective period multiplied by the quantity of each crypto asset held.
(3)During the fourth quarter of 2022, we entered into futures contracts to hedge our price exposure on crypto assets held as investments. These contracts were closed out during the first quarter of 2023. As of December 31, 2022, the cost and fair value amounts for Bitcoin were $89.9 million and $85.8 million, respectively, and the cost and fair value amounts for Ethereum were $43.7 million and $50.8 million, respectively.
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Crypto assets held as investments
We view our crypto asset investments as long term holdings and we do not plan to engage in regular trading of crypto assets. From time to time, we may enter into derivatives or other financial instruments in an attempt to hedge our price exposure on our crypto assets held as investments. During times of instability in the market of crypto assets, we may not be able to sell our crypto assets at reasonable prices or at all. As a result, our crypto assets are less liquid than our cash and cash equivalents and may not be able to serve as a source of liquidity for us to the same extent as cash and cash equivalents. Customer accommodations and corporate expenses denominated in crypto assets are fulfilled with crypto assets held for operational purposes. We recognized $34.0 million and $501.0 million of gross impairment expense on our crypto asset investment portfolio for the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively.
Crypto assets held for operating purposes
We use crypto assets to fulfill corporate expenses denominated in crypto assets, including miner fees, staking rewards, promotional and marketing expenses, and other various expenses totaling $298.3 million and $383.2 million for the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively. We recognized $62.8 million and $256.2 million of gross impairment expense on our crypto asset operating portfolio for the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively.
Crypto assets borrowed and related collateral
We borrow fiat and crypto assets from eligible institutional customers. These borrowings are generally open-term or have a term of less than one year. Such activities are not material to our business. We are required to maintain a collateral to loan ratio per our borrowing agreements. Any significant change in crypto asset prices could impact the value of the crypto asset borrowed or the value of crypto asset collateral. Recent downward trends in crypto asset prices have not had a material impact on the value of our corporate collateral. If crypto asset prices rise, we will post additional collateral to maintain required collateral loan ratios. We were in compliance with all collateral requirements as of December 31, 2023.
As of December 31, 2023 and 2022, the balance of our assets that we have pledged as collateral on our borrowings consisted of the following (in thousands, except units):
| December 31, 2023 | December 31, 2022 | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Units | Fair Value | Units | Fair Value | |||||||||
| Asset | ||||||||||||
| USDC | 51,879,705 | $ | 51,880 | 47,633,897 | $ | 47,634 | ||||||
| Bitcoin | — | — | 650 | 10,743 | ||||||||
| Fiat | N/A | 1,191 | N/A | 41,630 | ||||||||
| Total | $ | 53,071 | $ | 100,007 |
Our business model does not expose us to liquidity risk if we have excessive redemptions or withdrawals from customers. We do not use customer crypto assets as collateral for any loan, margin, rehypothecation, or other similar activities without their consent to which we or our affiliates are a party, and we did not have any such arrangements as of December 31, 2023. As of December 31, 2023, we have not experienced excessive redemptions or withdrawals, or prolonged suspended redemptions or withdrawals, of crypto assets to date. See Risk Factors–Depositing and withdrawing crypto assets into and from our platform involves risks, which could result in loss of customer assets, customer disputes and other liabilities, which could adversely impact our business included in Part I, Item 1A of this Annual Report on Form 10-K for further information.
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Cash requirements and contractual obligations
Certain jurisdictions where we operate require us to hold eligible liquid assets, as defined by applicable regulatory requirements and commercial law in these jurisdictions, equal to at least 100% of the aggregate amount of all customer custodial cash liabilities. Depending on the jurisdiction, eligible liquid assets can include cash and cash equivalents, customer custodial cash, and in-transit customer receivables. As of December 31, 2023 and 2022, our eligible liquid assets were greater than the aggregate amount of customer custodial cash liabilities. We are also required to hold corporate liquid assets at our subsidiaries to meet capital requirements established by our regulators based on the value of crypto assets held in custody. As of December 31, 2023, we were in compliance with these capital requirements.
As of December 31, 2023, our material cash requirements and contractual obligations arising in the normal course of business due within the next 12 months and in total consisted of the following (in thousands):
| Amounts Due | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Next 12 Months | Total | |||||
| Operating leases(1) | $ | 11,235 | $ | 15,151 | ||
| Non-cancelable purchase obligations(2) | 245,011 | 479,226 | ||||
| 2026 Convertible Notes(3) | ||||||
| Interest | 6,365 | 15,930 | ||||
| Principal | — | 1,273,013 | ||||
| 2028 Senior Notes(4) | ||||||
| Interest | 33,750 | 168,750 | ||||
| Principal | — | 1,000,000 | ||||
| 2031 Senior Notes(4) | ||||||
| Interest | 26,733 | 213,863 | ||||
| Principal | — | 737,457 | ||||
| Other(5) | 10,573 | 10,573 | ||||
| Total | $ | 333,667 | $ | 3,913,963 |
_______________
(1) Lease payments due for corporate offices.
(2) Committed spend for non-cancellable purchase obligations greater than $1.0 million per obligation, primarily relating to technology and advertising.
(3) Assumes the 2026 Convertible Notes are not converted into our Class A common stock, repurchased or redeemed prior to maturity.
(4) Assumes the 2028 and 2031 Senior Notes are not repurchased or redeemed prior to maturity.
(5) Remaining amounts committed under a consent order with NYDFS. In January 2023, the NYDFS announced a consent order focused on historical shortcomings in Coinbase, Inc.’s compliance program. Pursuant to the consent order, Coinbase, Inc. paid a $50.0 million penalty in January 2023 and agreed to invest an additional $50.0 million in its compliance function by the end of 2024.
See Notes 12. Accrued Expenses and Other Current Liabilities, 14. Indebtedness, 20. Income Taxes and 22. Commitments and Contingencies of the Notes to our consolidated financial statements included in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K, for further information relating to our short and long term material cash requirements and contractual obligations as of December 31, 2023.
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Cash flows
The following table summarizes our consolidated statements of cash flows (in thousands):
| Year Ended December 31, | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | ||||||||
| Net cash provided by (used in) operating activities | $ | 922,951 | $ | (1,585,419) | $ | 4,038,172 | ||||
| Net cash provided by (used in) investing activities | 5,392 | (663,822) | (1,124,740) | |||||||
| Net cash (used in) provided by financing activities | (811,332) | (5,838,518) | 9,976,084 | |||||||
| Net increase (decrease) in cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash | $ | 117,011 | $ | (8,087,759) | $ | 12,889,516 | ||||
| Effect of exchange rates on cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash | $ | 8,772 | $ | (163,257) | $ | (64,883) | ||||
| Change in customer custodial cash | $ | (585,666) | $ | (5,547,481) | $ | 6,762,841 |
Operating activities
Our largest source of cash provided by operations are revenues generated from transaction fees and stablecoin revenue. Our primary uses of cash from operating activities include payments to employees for compensation, payments for website hosting and infrastructure services, professional services, outsourced customer support costs, and other general corporate expenditures.
Net cash provided by operating activities increased by $2.5 billion for the year ended December 31, 2023 as compared to 2022 primarily due to:
•a $1.1 billion increase in cash provided by USDC conversions primarily to optimize our corporate balance; and
•a decrease in cash expenditures as a result of our cost management efforts.
Net cash used in operating activities increased by $5.6 billion for the year ended December 31, 2022 as compared to 2021 primarily due to:
•a $4.6 billion decrease in total revenues; and
•a $770.7 million increase in cash used to purchase USDC to increase our corporate balances.
Investing activities
Net cash provided by investing activities increased by $669.2 million for the year ended December 31, 2023 as compared to 2022 primarily due to:
•a $614.8 million decrease in cash used to purchase crypto assets for our corporate investment portfolio and a decrease in crypto asset purchases and disposals due to our investments in database and network infrastructure to support heightened trading volumes on our platform in order to reduce unanticipated system disruptions; and
•a $155.4 million decrease in cash used related to fewer business combinations completed in 2023 due to reduced acquisition activity year-over-year as a result of market conditions and a refresh of our strategic priorities in light of these market conditions; offset in part by
•a $193.2 million increase in cash used for net loans originated and repaid related to an increase in consumer demand for these loans due to stabilizing interest rates and increasing crypto asset prices which are used for collateral against these loans thereby increasing borrowing power.
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Net cash used in investing activities decreased by $460.9 million for the year ended December 31, 2022 as compared to 2021 primarily due to:
•a decrease in strategic equity investments. In 2021, our overall discretionary investing activity grew significantly as we saw rapid acceleration in the pace of innovation in our industry. This drove higher investment volume and spend as: (i) we saw growth in new company formation and invested broadly across the ecosystem through our venture investing program and (ii) we made select larger corporate investments in companies that provided us with exposure to new or complementary areas of crypto (e.g., geographic regions where we did not operate). Our investing activity significantly declined year-over-year in 2022 as macroeconomic conditions shifted and led to tightening in the broader capital markets. We also significantly reduced corporate investing activity due to a refresh of our strategic priorities in light of market changes. While our strategic investing activity declined in 2022 relative to 2021, with cash outflows of $326.5 million for the year ended December 31, 2021 compared to $63.0 million for the year ended December 31, 2022, we continued to invest at a higher rate than in 2020, both in terms of deal volume and spend;
•a $331.9 million decrease in net loans originated and repaid as we have seen a decline in consumer demand for these loans due to increasing interest rates and declining crypto assets prices which are used for collateral against these loans thereby decreasing borrowing power; offset in part by
•a $115.2 million increase in cash used for business combinations completed in 2022 due to changes in market conditions; and
•a $39.0 million increase in our capitalized software costs as we focused efforts on optimizing our platform through investments in database and network infrastructure launching new products, adding payment rails and expanding internationally.
Financing activities
Net cash used in financing activities decreased by $5.0 billion for the year ended December 31, 2023 as compared to 2022 primarily due to:
•a $5.3 billion decrease of customer custodial cash liabilities as a result of a decline in fiat balances held on our platform due to a decrease in market sentiment, as discussed in the section titled “—Key Business Metrics” above, and customers seeking higher yields on cash holdings in banks and USDC holdings on our platform; and
•a $74.1 million decrease in taxes paid related to net share settlements of equity awards due the overall decrease in headcount and the decline in our stock price on the vesting dates, the taxable event. Our choice to net settle employee awards and pay taxes is routinely evaluated by management and may change in the future; offset in part by
•an increase of $303.5 million in cash used for long-term debt repurchases that began in June 2023.
Net cash used in financing activities increased by $15.8 billion for the year ended December 31, 2022 as compared to 2021 primarily due to:
•a decrease in customer custodial cash liabilities of $5.6 billion as we saw an overall decline in fiat balances held on our platform due to lower customer trading activity as compared to an inflow of $6.7 billion in the prior year;
•a decrease of net $3.4 billion related to the issuance of our Senior Notes and 2026 Convertible Notes, which did not recur in 2022; and
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•a $165.6 million decrease in proceeds from the issuance of Class A and Class B common stock upon the exercise of stock options as our stock price was at an all-time high in 2021 as compared to 2022, coupled with our first year as a public company and the associated liquidity event this provided for holders of our stock options.
Critical Accounting Estimates
Our consolidated financial statements and the related notes included elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K are prepared in accordance with GAAP. The preparation of consolidated financial statements also requires us to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenue, costs, and expenses and related disclosures. We base our estimates on historical experience and on various other assumptions that we believe to be reasonable under the circumstances. Actual results could differ significantly from our estimates. To the extent that there are differences between our estimates and actual results, our future financial statement presentation, financial condition, operating results, and cash flows will be affected.
See Note 2. Summary of Significant Accounting Policies of the Notes to our consolidated financial statements included in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K for a summary of significant accounting policies and significant estimates and assumptions and their effects on our financial statements. Below are the significant estimates and assumptions that we consider critical because they involve a significant amount of estimation uncertainty and have had or are reasonably likely to have a material impact on our financial condition or results of operations.
Business combinations, goodwill, and intangible assets
We determined that business combinations, goodwill, and intangible assets represent critical accounting estimates, as they involve significant judgment, estimates, and assumptions and to the extent that our estimates and assumptions materially change or if actual circumstances differ from those in the assumptions, our financial statements could be materially impacted.
We account for our business combinations using the acquisition method of accounting, which requires, among other things, allocation of the fair value of purchase consideration to the tangible and intangible assets acquired and liabilities assumed at their estimated fair values on the acquisition date. When determining the fair value of assets acquired and liabilities assumed, we make significant estimates and assumptions, especially with respect to non-crypto intangible assets. These intangible assets do not have observable prices and have primarily consisted of customer relationships, developed technology, licenses, trademarks and trade names, and non-compete agreements, which are recorded at acquisition date fair value, less accumulated amortization. These estimates and assumptions can include, but are not limited to, the cash flows that an asset is expected to generate in the future, the appropriate weighted-average cost of capital, the number of working hours required to recreate the intangible asset (if following the cost approach), and the estimated useful lives. Changes in these assumptions could affect the carrying value of these assets. Our estimates of fair value are based upon assumptions believed to be reasonable, but which are inherently uncertain and, as a result, actual results may differ from estimates.
Goodwill
We perform an impairment test annually in the fourth quarter or whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying value of goodwill might not be fully recoverable. In accordance with applicable accounting guidance, a company can assess qualitative factors to determine whether it is necessary to perform a goodwill impairment test. Alternatively, a company may elect to proceed directly to a quantitative goodwill impairment test. We do the former and assess qualitative factors to determine whether it is necessary to perform a goodwill impairment test. We review factors including changes in our stock price, macroeconomic conditions, industry and market conditions, cost factors, overall financial performance, changes in any key personnel, and any changes in the composition of the carrying amount of our assets. There were no changes to the qualitative factors considered indicating an impairment of goodwill for the reporting periods presented. In the future, if there are material changes in the underlying
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estimates and assumptions pertaining to the impairment assessment, our financial statements could be materially impacted. For the reporting periods presented, we determined that it was more likely than not that the fair value of our reporting unit was more than the respective related carrying amounts, including goodwill, and therefore we did not record any goodwill impairment. Management also concluded that the Company’s reporting unit was not at risk of failing this test as of December 31, 2023.
Intangible assets
Intangible assets are initially valued at fair value using generally accepted valuation methods appropriate for the type of intangible asset. Intangible assets with definite lives are amortized over their estimated useful lives and are reviewed for impairment if indicators of impairment arise. Intangible assets assessed as having indefinite lives are not amortized, but are assessed for indicators that the useful life is no longer indefinite or for indicators of impairment each period. Indicators we review, as applicable, include whether there has been a significant adverse change in the extent or manner in which our assets are being used, a significant adverse change in legal factors affecting our assets, customer attrition, and/or a cash flow loss. Due to the dynamic nature of our business and the regulatory environment in which we operate, it is not practicable to model sensitivity of the valuation of these assets to these factors. Each reporting period, we evaluate the estimated remaining useful life of our intangible assets and whether events or changes in circumstances warrant a revision to the remaining period of amortization. We did not identify indicators of impairment of our intangible assets during the reporting periods presented. In the future, if there are material changes in the underlying estimates and assumptions pertaining to the impairment assessment, our financial statements could be materially impacted.
Strategic investments
We hold strategic investments in privately held companies in the form of equity securities without readily determinable fair values in which we do not have a controlling interest or significant influence. The vast majority of these investments are accounted for under the measurement alternative method (“the measurement alternative”) and are measured at cost, less impairment, subject to upward and downward adjustments resulting from observable price changes for identical or similar investments of the same issuer (“pricing adjustments”). We determined that valuation of privately-held strategic investments represents a critical accounting estimate because impairment evaluations and pricing adjustments involve significant judgment, estimates, and assumptions, and to the extent that these estimates and assumptions change materially or if actual circumstances differ from those in the assumptions, our financial statements could be materially impacted.
Pricing adjustments
Pricing adjustments require quantitative assessments of the fair value of our strategic investments, which may require the use of unobservable inputs. Pricing adjustments are determined by using various valuation methodologies and involve the use of estimates using the best information available, which may include cash flow projections or other available market data.
Impairment
Privately-held strategic investments are evaluated quarterly for impairment. Our qualitative analysis includes a review of indicators such as: operating results when available, business prospects of the investees, changes in the regulatory and macroeconomic environment, observable price changes in similar transactions, and general market conditions of the geographical area or industry in which our investees operate. If indicators of impairment exist, we prepare quantitative measurements of the fair value of our equity investments using an Option-Pricing Model that uses publicly available market data of comparable companies and other unobservable inputs including expected volatility, expected time to liquidity, adjustments for other company-specific developments, and the rights and obligations of the securities we hold. When the quantitative remeasurements of fair value indicate an impairment exists, we write down the investment to its current fair value.
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We anticipate volatility to our net income (loss) in future periods due to changes in the fair values associated with these investments and changes in observable prices and similar transactions that could impact our fair value assessments. Based on future market conditions, these changes could be material to our financial statements. For more information regarding these market conditions and related sensitivity, see the section titled “Item 7A. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk – Equity investment risk. See Note 11. Prepaid expenses and other current and non-current assets of the Notes to our consolidated financial statements included in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K for details of changes, which were material, in our strategic investments for the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022.
Income taxes
We determined that income taxes involve critical accounting estimates because management makes significant estimates, assumptions, and judgments to determine our provision for income taxes, deferred tax assets and liabilities, and any valuation allowance recorded against deferred tax assets, and to the extent that our estimates and assumptions materially change, or if actual circumstances differ materially from those in the assumptions, our financial statements could be materially impacted.
We utilize the asset and liability method for computing our income tax provision. Deferred tax assets and liabilities reflect the expected future consequences of temporary differences between the financial reporting and tax bases of assets and liabilities as well as operating loss, capital loss, and tax credit carryforwards, using enacted tax rates. We assess the likelihood that our deferred tax assets will be recovered from future taxable income and, to the extent we believe that recovery is not likely, we establish a valuation allowance. Assessing the need for a valuation allowance requires a great deal of judgement and we consider all available evidence, both positive and negative, to determine whether it is more likely than not that our deferred tax assets are recoverable. We evaluate all available evidence including, but not limited to, history of earnings and losses, forecasts of future taxable income, and the weight of evidence that can be objectively verified. See Note 20. Income taxes of the Notes to our consolidated financial statements included in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K for details of changes in our valuation allowance for the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022, and 2021.
We recognize the tax benefit from an uncertain tax position only if it is more likely than not the tax position will be sustained on examination by the taxing authorities, based on the technical merits of the position. The tax benefits recognized from such positions are then measured based on the largest benefit that has a greater than 50% likelihood of being realized upon settlement. Interest and penalties related to unrecognized tax benefits are recognized within provision for income taxes. See Note 20. Income taxes of the Notes to our consolidated financial statements included in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K for details of changes in unrecognized tax benefits for the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022, and 2021.
For U.S. federal tax purposes, crypto asset transactions are treated on the same tax principles as property transactions. We recognize a gain or loss when crypto assets are exchanged for other property, in the amount of the difference between the fair market value of the property received and the tax basis of the exchanged crypto assets. Receipts of crypto assets in exchange for goods or services are included in taxable income at the fair market value on the date of receipt.
Legal and other contingencies
We are subject to various legal proceedings and claims that arise in the ordinary course of business, the outcomes of which are inherently uncertain, and such uncertainty may be enhanced due to the industry in which we operate. We record a liability when it is probable that a loss has been incurred and the amount is reasonably estimable, the determination of which requires significant judgment. In addition, we record recoveries of these losses when it is probable that they will be collected. These estimates are highly sensitive to change and involve variables that are not completely within our control nor practicable to model, including decisions made by regulators and settlement negotiations. Resolution of legal and
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other contingencies in a manner inconsistent with management’s expectations could have a material impact on our financial condition and results of operations. See the section titled “—Results of operations—Comparison of the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022, and 2021—Operating expenses—General and administrative expenses” above for discussion of material changes in legal and other contingencies during the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022, and 2021.
Recent Accounting Pronouncements
See Note 2. Summary of Significant Accounting Policies of the Notes to our consolidated financial statements included in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K for a discussion of new accounting pronouncements adopted and not yet adopted as of the date of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
FY 2022 10-K MD&A
SEC filing source: 0001679788-23-000031.
Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
The following discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations should be read in conjunction with our consolidated financial statements and the accompanying notes thereto included elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. The following discussion and analysis contain forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties, as well as assumptions that, if they never materialize or prove incorrect, could cause our results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause or contribute to these differences include, but are not limited to, those identified below and those discussed in the section titled Risk Factors in Part I, Item 1A of this Annual Report on Form 10-K. Unless otherwise expressly stated or the context otherwise requires, references to “we,” “our,” “us,” “the Company,” and “Coinbase” refer to Coinbase Global, Inc. and its consolidated subsidiaries.
Discussions of year-to-year comparisons between 2021 and 2020 are not included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, and can be found in the section titled “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” in Part II - Item 7 of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2021, filed with the SEC on February 25, 2022.
Executive Overview
This executive overview of Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations highlights selected information and does not contain all of the information that is important to readers of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
2022 was a challenging year for crypto markets and our transaction revenues. As macroeconomic indicators like inflation remained high and interest rates rose throughout the year, crypto market capitalization declined along with broader equity markets. These weakening market conditions became exacerbated by two idiosyncratic events. The first was the depegging of $LUNA in the second quarter of 2022, which contributed to an approximately 60% crypto market capitalization decline in that quarter and exposed poor risk management practices in crypto, and ultimately helped drive the credit related bankruptcies of Three Arrows Capital, Voyager, and Celsius. The second event was the collapse of FTX in the fourth quarter of 2022, which was the result of fraud, and helped drive additional credit related bankruptcies.
For the year ended December 31, 2022, our total net revenue was $3.1 billion, including $2.4 billion in transaction revenue. For the year ended December 31, 2021, we generated $7.4 billion of total net revenue, including $6.8 billion in transaction revenue.
Subscription and services revenue was $792.6 million for the year ended December 31, 2022 and $517.5 million for the year ended December 31, 2021.
For the year ended December 31, 2022, our net loss was $2.6 billion, and Adjusted EBITDA loss was $371.4 million. For the year ended December 31, 2021, our net income was $3.6 billion and Adjusted EBITDA was $4.1 billion.
Crypto remains volatile and we have limited ability to forecast our transaction revenues which remain correlated with crypto market capitalization and crypto asset volatility. In addition to our focus on cost reduction and efficiency, we are more rigorously assessing our product-market fit, and taking a scrappier approach to investments in new and unproven products by, for example, getting back to smaller team sizes. We are controlling what we can control and contingency planning for what we cannot. You can expect us to be nimble and adapt to the market if conditions evolve outside the range of scenarios we have currently planned for.
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Key Business Metrics
In addition to the measures presented in our consolidated financial statements, we have historically used the key business metrics below to evaluate our business, measure our performance, identify trends affecting our business, and make strategic decisions:
| Year Ended December 31, | % Change | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2022 | 2021 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Verified Users (in millions) | 110 | 89 | 43 | 24 | % | 107 | % | ||||||||||||||||||||
| MTUs(1) (in millions) | 8.3 | 11.2 | 2.8 | (26) | 300 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Assets on Platform (in billions) | $ | 80 | $ | 278 | $ | 90 | (71) | 209 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Trading Volume (in billions) | $ | 830 | $ | 1,671 | $ | 193 | (50) | 766 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Net (loss) income (in millions) | $ | (2,625) | $ | 3,624 | $ | 322 | (172) | 1,025 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Adjusted EBITDA(2) (in millions) | $ | (371) | $ | 4,090 | $ | 527 | (109) | 676 |
___________________
(1)We previously identified an issue in the calculation of our Monthly Transacting Users metric related to the complexity in measuring users and activity in self-custodial products (notably Coinbase Wallet) that resulted in the overstatement of the MTU figures previously disclosed as of December 31, 2021. Accordingly, the MTU metric as of December 31, 2021 was revised from 11.4 million to 11.2 million to reflect our estimate of the overstatement.
(2)Please see the section titled Non-GAAP Financial Measure below for a reconciliation of net (loss) income to Adjusted EBITDA and an explanation for why we consider Adjusted EBITDA to be a helpful metric for investors.
As previewed in our prior periodic filing, following an evaluation of our key business metrics, we plan to update our key business metrics to better align with business performance and how management views the business. Accordingly, based on our evaluation of our Verified Users metric, we do not believe this metric, which is an indicator of the scale of our platform, provides meaningful information related to our business performance. Verified Users do not track user activities leading to revenue generation and, as a result, are not indicative of our overall performance, including with respect to our revenue and operating results and, therefore, we believe that this metric no longer provides valuable insight into our business performance. Accordingly, we do not plan to report the number of Verified Users in our future periodic filings, beginning with our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the three months ending March 31, 2023. Additionally, we will no longer include our Assets on Platform metric as part of our key business metrics disclosure given that this information is available elsewhere in our periodic filings. As a result of the issuance of Staff Accounting Bulletin No. 121 (“SAB 121”) by the SEC staff, investors may calculate the Assets on Platform metric by aggregating our “customer crypto liabilities” and our “customer custodial cash liabilities,” which are provided on our consolidated balance sheets.
Lastly, given that crypto markets and our revenue sources continue to evolve, we believe there may be further opportunity to evolve our key business metrics disclosures to better align with business performance, which we will continue to evaluate as the cryptoeconomy further develops. Based on this evaluation, we may determine to change or eliminate our current key business metrics in future filings we make with the SEC.
Verified Users
We define “Verified Users” as all consumers, institutions, and developers that have registered an account on our platform and confirmed either their email address or phone number, or that have established an account with a username on our non-custodial wallet application, as of the date of measurement. Verified Users are an indication of our scale. These customers have demonstrated an interest in our platform or direct intent to transact with crypto assets. Verified Users represent the top level of our customer acquisition funnel. Verified Users may overstate the number of unique customers who have registered an account on our platform as one customer may register for, and use, multiple accounts with different email addresses, phone numbers, or usernames.
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Monthly Transacting Users
We define an “MTU” as a consumer who actively or passively transacts in one or more products on our platform at least once during the rolling 28-day period ending on the date of measurement. MTUs presented for the end of a quarter are the average of each month’s MTUs in each respective quarter. MTUs presented as of the end of a year represent the MTUs for the last quarter of that year. The annual average MTUs for the years ended December 31, 2022, 2021, and 2020 were 8.8 million, 8.4 million, and 1.9 million, respectively. MTUs represent our transacting base of consumers who drive potential revenue generating transactions on our platform. MTUs engage in transactions that generate both transaction revenue and subscription and services revenue. Revenue-generating transactions include active transactions such as buying or selling crypto assets through our Invest product or passive transactions such as earning a staking reward. MTUs also engage in transactions that are non-revenue generating such as send and receive. MTUs may overstate the number of unique consumers due to differences in product architecture or user behavior.
Assets on Platform
We define “Assets on Platform” as the aggregate of “customer crypto liabilities” and “customer custodial cash liabilities,” each as set forth on our consolidated balance sheets.
Assets on Platform demonstrates the scale of balances held across our suite of products and services, the trust customers place in us to securely store their assets, and the underlying growth of the cryptoeconomy. Assets on Platform also represent our monetization opportunity for subscription products and services, including current products such as Custody, Stake, Borrow, and Lend. Assets on Platform generate fees that are recorded as subscription and services revenue when customers engage with these products.
The value of Assets on Platform is driven by three factors – the price, quantity, and type of crypto assets held by customers on our platform. Changes in the price and quantity, particularly for Bitcoin and Ethereum, or type of crypto asset held on our platform, can result in the increase or decrease in Assets on Platform in a particular period. Our Assets on Platform by asset are as follows:
| As of December 31, | % Change | ||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2022 | 2021 | |||||||||||||||
| Assets on Platform: | |||||||||||||||||||
| Bitcoin | 41 | % | 40 | % | 70 | % | 3 | % | (43) | % | |||||||||
| Ethereum(1) | 26 | 25 | 13 | 4 | 92 | ||||||||||||||
| USDC | 1 | 1 | — | — | 100 | ||||||||||||||
| Other crypto assets | 26 | 30 | 13 | (13) | 131 | ||||||||||||||
| Fiat | 6 | 4 | 4 | 50 | — | ||||||||||||||
| Total | 100 | % | 100 | % | 100 | % |
___________________
(1)Ethereum included $3.0 billion and $5.8 billion of Ethereum 2 as of December 31, 2022 and 2021, respectively.
As of December 31, 2022 and 2021, no asset other than Bitcoin and Ethereum individually represented more than 10% of our Assets on Platform.
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Trading Volume
We define “Trading Volume” as the total U.S. dollar equivalent value of spot matched trades transacted between a buyer and seller through our platform during the period of measurement. Trading Volume represents the product of the quantity of asset transacted and the trade price at the time the transaction was executed. As trading activity directly impacts transaction revenue, we believe this measure is a reflection of liquidity on our order books, trading health, and the underlying growth of the cryptoeconomy. Generally, Trading Volume on our platform is primarily influenced by the price of crypto assets, Crypto Asset Volatility and macroeconomic conditions. In periods of high crypto asset prices and Crypto Asset Volatility, we have experienced correspondingly high levels of Trading Volume on our platform. Our Trading Volume in future periods will depend on the relative availability and adoption of Bitcoin, Ethereum, and other crypto assets.
| Year Ended December 31, | % Change | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2022 | 2021 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Trading Volume (in billions): | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Consumer | $ | 167 | $ | 535 | $ | 73 | (69) | % | 633 | % | |||||||||||||||
| Institutional | 663 | 1,136 | 120 | (42) | 847 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Total | $ | 830 | $ | 1,671 | $ | 193 | (50) | 766 | |||||||||||||||||
| Trading Volume by crypto asset: | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bitcoin | 29 | % | 24 | % | 41 | % | 21 | (41) | |||||||||||||||||
| Ethereum | 25 | 21 | 15 | 19 | 40 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Other crypto assets | 45 | 55 | 44 | (18) | 25 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Total(1) | 100 | % | 100 | % | 100 | % | |||||||||||||||||||
| Transaction revenue by crypto asset: | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bitcoin | 29 | % | 25 | % | 44 | % | 16 | (43) | |||||||||||||||||
| Ethereum | 22 | 21 | 12 | 5 | 75 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Other crypto assets | 49 | 54 | 44 | (9) | 23 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Total | 100 | % | 100 | % | 100 | % |
__________________
(1)Figures presented above may not sum precisely due to rounding.
Trading Volume decreased 50% for the year ended December 31, 2022 compared to the year ended December 31, 2021. The decrease in Trading Volume was driven by steep declines in both average crypto asset prices and total crypto spot market volumes associated with macroeconomic challenges during the year ended December 31, 2022. In addition, Crypto Asset Volatility decreased 32% for the year ended December 31, 2022 compared to the year ended December 31, 2021.
During the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, no asset other than Bitcoin and Ethereum individually represented more than 10% of our Trading Volume or transaction revenue, respectively.
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Components of Results of Operations
Net revenue
Transaction revenue
Net revenue consists of transaction revenue generated from transaction fees from trades that occur on our platform. The transaction fee earned is based on the price and quantity of the crypto asset that is bought, sold, or converted. Transaction revenue is recognized at the time the transaction is processed and is directly correlated with Trading Volume.
Subscription and services revenue
Subscription and services revenue primarily consists of:
•Blockchain rewards: We derive blockchain rewards through various blockchain protocols. These blockchain protocols, or the participants that form the protocol networks, reward users for performing various activities on the blockchain, such as participating in proof-of-stake networks. We earn blockchain rewards on crypto assets.
Our staking revenue is included within blockchain rewards. Our blockchain services offered as part of Coinbase Cloud’s blockchain infrastructure solutions are included in other subscription and services revenue.
•Custodial fee revenue: We derive custodial fee revenue based on a percentage of the daily value of customer crypto assets that we hold under custody in our dedicated cold storage solution. The value of crypto assets held under custody is driven by the quantity, price, and type of crypto asset.
•Interest income: We earn income on fiat funds under a revenue sharing arrangement with the issuer of USDC, pursuant to which we share any interest income 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. Our income is dependent on the balance of such fiat funds and the prevailing interest rate environment. We also earn interest income on loans issued to our consumers and institutional users. Additionally, we hold customer custodial funds and cash and cash equivalents at certain third-party banks which earn interest. Interest earned on revenue sharing, customer custodial funds, and loans is included in interest income within subscription and services revenue. Interest earned on cash and cash equivalents is included in corporate interest and other income, within other revenue.
•Other: Other subscription and services revenue primarily includes revenue from Coinbase Cloud, which includes staking application, delegation, and infrastructure services, subscription revenue from Coinbase One, Learning Rewards (formerly “Earn”) campaign revenue, and revenue from other subscription licenses.
Other revenue
Other revenue includes the sale of crypto assets when we are the principal in the transaction. Periodically, as an accommodation to customers, we may fulfill customer transactions using our own crypto assets. We fulfill customer accommodation transactions using our own assets for orders that do not meet the minimum trade size for execution on our platform or to maintain customers’ trade execution and processing times during unanticipated system disruptions. We have custody and control of these crypto assets prior to the sale to the customer and record revenue at the point in time when the sale is processed. Accordingly, we record the total value of the sale as revenue and the cost of the crypto asset in other operating expense, net. Transactions involving our sale of crypto assets represented less than 0.1% of our total revenue for the year ended December 31, 2022.
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Other revenue also includes interest income earned primarily on our corporate cash and cash equivalents. Interest income is calculated using the interest method and depends on the balance of cash and cash equivalents as well as the prevailing interest rate environment.
Operating expenses
Operating expenses consist of transaction expense, technology and development, sales and marketing, general and administrative, restructuring, and other operating expense, net.
Transaction expense
Transaction expense includes costs incurred to operate our platform, process crypto asset trades, and perform wallet services. These costs include account verification fees, miner fees to process transactions on blockchain networks, fees paid to payment processors and other financial institutions for customer transaction activity, and crypto asset losses due to transaction reversals. Transaction expense also includes rewards paid to users for staking activities conducted by us. Fixed-fee costs are expensed over the term of the contract and transaction-level costs are expensed as incurred.
Technology and development
Technology and development expenses include personnel-related expenses incurred in operating, maintaining, and enhancing our platform. These costs also include website hosting, infrastructure expenses, costs incurred in developing new products and services and the amortization of acquired developed technology.
Sales and marketing
Sales and marketing expenses primarily include costs related to customer acquisition, advertising and marketing programs, and personnel-related expenses. Sales and marketing costs are expensed as incurred.
General and administrative
General and administrative expenses include personnel-related expenses incurred to support our business, including executive, customer support, compliance, finance, human resources, legal, and other support operations. These costs also include software subscriptions for support services, facilities and equipment costs, depreciation, amortization of acquired customer relationship intangible assets, gains and losses on disposal of fixed assets, legal reserves and settlements, and other general overhead. General and administrative costs are expensed as incurred.
Restructuring
Restructuring expenses primarily consist of non-recurring costs and severance for employees related to reductions in our headcount during the year ended December 31, 2022. For more information, see Note 3. Restructuring of the Notes to our consolidated financial statements included in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
Other operating expense, net
Other operating expense, net includes impairment and realized gains on the sale of crypto assets, realized gains and losses resulting from the settlement of derivative instruments, and fair value gains and losses related to derivatives and derivatives designated in qualifying fair value hedge accounting relationships.
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Other operating expense, net also includes the cost of our crypto assets used to fulfill customer accommodation transactions. Periodically, as an accommodation to customers, we may fulfill customer transactions using our own crypto assets held for operating purposes. We have custody and control of the crypto assets prior to the sale to the customer. Accordingly, we record the total value of the sale in other revenue and the cost of the crypto asset in other operating expense, net.
Interest expense
Interest expense on debt includes coupon interest expense, as well as amortization of debt discounts and debt issuance costs.
Other expense (income), net
Other expense (income), net includes the following items:
•gains and losses on investments, net, which consists primarily of realized and unrealized gains and losses from fair value adjustments on investments;
•realized impacts on foreign exchange resulting from the settlement of our foreign currency assets, liabilities and foreign exchange forward contracts, as well as unrealized impacts on foreign exchange resulting from remeasurement of transactions and monetary assets and liabilities denominated in non-functional currencies; and
•impairment recognized on certain strategic equity investments in privately held companies without readily determinable fair values.
(Benefit from) provision for income taxes
(Benefit from) provision for income taxes includes income taxes related to foreign jurisdictions and U.S. federal and state income taxes.
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Results of Operations
The following table summarizes the historical consolidated statements of operations data:
| Year Ended December 31, | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | ||||||||||||
| (in thousands) | ||||||||||||||
| Revenue: | ||||||||||||||
| Net revenue | $ | 3,148,815 | $ | 7,354,753 | $ | 1,141,167 | ||||||||
| Other revenue | 45,393 | 484,691 | 136,314 | |||||||||||
| Total revenue | 3,194,208 | 7,839,444 | 1,277,481 | |||||||||||
| Operating expenses: | ||||||||||||||
| Transaction expense | 629,880 | 1,267,924 | 135,514 | |||||||||||
| Technology and development | 2,326,354 | 1,291,561 | 271,732 | |||||||||||
| Sales and marketing | 510,089 | 663,689 | 56,782 | |||||||||||
| General and administrative | 1,600,586 | 909,392 | 279,880 | |||||||||||
| Restructuring | 40,703 | — | — | |||||||||||
| Other operating expense, net | 796,804 | 630,308 | 124,622 | |||||||||||
| Total operating expenses | 5,904,416 | 4,762,874 | 868,530 | |||||||||||
| Operating (loss) income | (2,710,208) | 3,076,570 | 408,951 | |||||||||||
| Interest expense | 88,901 | 29,160 | — | |||||||||||
| Other expense (income), net | 265,473 | 20,463 | (248) | |||||||||||
| (Loss) income before income taxes | (3,064,582) | 3,026,947 | 409,199 | |||||||||||
| (Benefit from) provision for income taxes | (439,633) | (597,173) | 86,882 | |||||||||||
| Net (loss) income | $ | (2,624,949) | $ | 3,624,120 | $ | 322,317 |
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The following table presents the components of the consolidated statements of operations data as a percentage of total revenue:
| Year Ended December 31, | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | ||||||||||
| (as a % of total revenue)(1) | ||||||||||||
| Total revenue | 100 | % | 100 | % | 100 | % | ||||||
| Operating expenses: | ||||||||||||
| Transaction expense | 20 | 16 | 11 | |||||||||
| Technology and development | 73 | 16 | 21 | |||||||||
| Sales and marketing | 16 | 9 | 4 | |||||||||
| General and administrative | 50 | 12 | 22 | |||||||||
| Restructuring | 1 | — | — | |||||||||
| Other operating expense, net | 25 | 8 | 10 | |||||||||
| Total operating expenses | 185 | 61 | 68 | |||||||||
| Operating (loss) income | (85) | 39 | 32 | |||||||||
| Interest expense | 3 | — | — | |||||||||
| Other expense (income), net | 8 | — | — | |||||||||
| (Loss) income before income taxes | (96) | 39 | 32 | |||||||||
| (Benefit from) provision for income taxes | (14) | (7) | 7 | |||||||||
| Net (loss) income | (82) | % | 46 | % | 25 | % |
___________________
(1)Figures presented above may not sum precisely due to rounding.
Comparison of the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021
Revenue
| Year Ended December 31, | % Change | ||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2022 | 2021 | |||||||||||||||||||
| (in thousands) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Transaction revenue | $ | 2,356,244 | $ | 6,837,266 | $ | 1,096,174 | (66) | % | 524 | % | |||||||||||||
| Subscription and services revenue | 792,571 | 517,487 | 44,993 | 53 | 1,050 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Other revenue | 45,393 | 484,691 | 136,314 | (91) | 256 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Total revenue | $ | 3,194,208 | $ | 7,839,444 | $ | 1,277,481 | (59) | 514 |
Transaction revenue for the year ended December 31, 2022 decreased by $4.5 billion compared to the year ended December 31, 2021, primarily due to the following:
•a decrease in consumer Trading Volume of 69% due to a decrease in crypto market capitalization including the average crypto asset prices; and
•a decline in Crypto Asset Volatility by 32%. Trading Volume on our platform is generally correlated with Crypto Asset Volatility.
A number of factors contribute to changes in crypto asset prices and Crypto Asset Volatility, including, but not limited to, changes in the supply and demand for a particular crypto asset, crypto market sentiment, macroeconomic factors, utility of a particular crypto asset, and idiosyncratic events.
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Subscription and services revenue for the year ended December 31, 2022 increased by $275.1 million compared to the year ended December 31, 2021, due to the following:
•an increase in interest income of $301.1 million due to an increased return on our revenue sharing arrangement with the issuer of USDC and on interest-bearing customer custodial funds, driven by an increase in interest rates; and
•an increase in blockchain rewards of $52.5 million due to the addition of new assets available for staking such as Solana and Cardano in 2022 and increased staking activity primarily due to Ethereum 2 Staking which was launched in the second quarter of 2021; offset by
•a decrease in custodial fee revenue of $56.4 million due to a decrease in the average assets under custody of $48.3 billion over the same period. The decline in average assets under custody was primarily driven by a decrease in the price of crypto assets under custody; and
•a decrease in other subscription and services revenue of $22.0 million due to a decrease in Learning Rewards campaign revenue and a decrease in participation and delegation revenue, partially offset by an increase in subscription fees for Coinbase One which was launched in the fourth quarter of 2021.
Other revenue for the year ended December 31, 2022 decreased by $439.3 million compared to the year ended December 31, 2021 due to a decrease in crypto asset sales revenue over the same period. A system disruption which occurred on May 19, 2021 as a result of an unprecedented short term spike in Trading Volume as well as the exchange disruption on September 7, 2021 were primarily responsible for the increase in crypto asset sales during the year ended December 31, 2021.
We generate revenue from crypto asset sales where the transactions are fulfilled with our crypto assets to accommodate customers, primarily as a result of unanticipated system disruptions. For the year ended December 31, 2022, we did not experience any unanticipated system disruptions with material impact to our financial results compared to 16 unanticipated system disruptions for the year ended December 31, 2021. The number of unanticipated system disruptions declined during the year ended December 31, 2022 as we continued to make significant investments in infrastructure to support trading volumes on our platform.
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Operating expenses
| Year Ended December 31, | % Change | ||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2022 | 2021 | |||||||||||||||||||
| (in thousands) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Transaction expense | $ | 629,880 | $ | 1,267,924 | $ | 135,514 | (50) | % | 836 | % | |||||||||||||
| Technology and development | 2,326,354 | 1,291,561 | 271,732 | 80 | 375 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Sales and marketing | 510,089 | 663,689 | 56,782 | (23) | 1,069 | ||||||||||||||||||
| General and administrative | 1,600,586 | 909,392 | 279,880 | 76 | 225 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Restructuring | 40,703 | — | — | 100 | — | ||||||||||||||||||
| Other operating expense, net | 796,804 | 630,308 | 124,622 | 26 | 406 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Total operating expenses | $ | 5,904,416 | $ | 4,762,874 | $ | 868,530 | 24 | 448 |
Transaction expense for the year ended December 31, 2022 decreased by $638.0 million, compared to the year ended December 31, 2021. Transaction expense as a percentage of net revenue was 20.0% and 17.2% during the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, respectively. Our transaction expenses as a percentage of net revenue will vary depending on the composition of our revenue. For example, over the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, blockchain rewards revenues have grown, and these revenues have a higher transaction expense as a percentage of net revenue compared to transaction fees or interest income.
The decrease in transaction expense for the year ended December 31, 2022, compared to the year ended December 31, 2021, was driven by the following:
•a decrease of $411.2 million related to miner fees driven by a decrease in blockchain transmission volume, both related to customer withdrawals and corporate wallet movements, lower blockchain network fees such as Ethereum gas prices, and significant investments in batching and other optimizations in on-chain activity;
•a decrease of $147.0 million related to lower payment processing fees driven by lower settled trading volume; and
•a decrease of $139.9 million related to transaction reversal losses driven by lower transaction volumes; offset by
•an increase of $55.7 million related to an increase in blockchain activities associated with rewards paid or payable to users from blockchain activities such as staking.
Technology and development expenses for the year ended December 31, 2022 increased by $1.0 billion compared to the year ended December 31, 2021, predominantly due to the following:
•an increase of $680.3 million in personnel-related expenses, including a $518.9 million increase in stock-based compensation expense, primarily due to an 87% increase in average headcount and the full-year impact of equity instruments issued in conjunction with business combinations that occurred throughout 2021 and early in 2022;
•an increase of $198.1 million in software and service costs, driven by continued investment in our products and platform, along with an increase in headcount driven by software licenses; and
•an increase of $83.4 million in amortization expense, related to amortization on capitalized software and assembled workforce.
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Sales and marketing expenses for the year ended December 31, 2022 decreased by $153.6 million compared to the year ended December 31, 2021. Sales and marketing expenses as a percentage of net revenue were 16.2% and 9.0% during the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, respectively.
The decrease in sales and marketing expenses for the year ended December 31, 2022 compared to the year ended December 31, 2021, was due to the following:
•a decrease of $316.5 million in digital advertising spend due to lower investment in paid media in 2022; and
•a decrease of $32.4 million in referral and promotion fees related to marketing initiatives such as sweepstakes and incentivized campaigns; offset by
•an increase of $128.7 million related to higher offline and brand spend; and
•an increase of $59.6 million in personnel-related expenses, including a $41.2 million increase in stock-based compensation expense, due to a 109% increase in average headcount.
General and administrative expenses for the year ended December 31, 2022 increased by $691.2 million compared to the year ended December 31, 2021 predominantly driven by the following:
•an increase of $290.1 million in customer support costs due to an increase in managed services to support compliance operations and customer experience, as a result of increased capacity needs to address backlogs from 2021, and an increase in personnel-related expenses;
•an increase of $230.6 million in personnel-related expenses excluding customer support, including a $149.4 million increase in stock-based compensation expense, primarily due to a 92% increase in average headcount;
•an increase of $75.1 million in settlement costs largely due to a one-time settlement cost accrual of $50.0 million with NYDFS in 2022;
•an increase of $71.0 million in professional services due to higher legal fees related to litigation, regulatory, compliance and business consulting; and
•an increase of $22.1 million in software license costs to support business, security and risk applications; offset by
•a decrease of $39.2 million in direct listing costs associated with our Direct Listing in the second quarter of 2021.
Restructuring expenses were $40.7 million for the year ended December 31, 2022. The $40.7 million is driven by separation pay and other personnel costs related to the workforce reduction in June 2022. There were no restructuring expenses for the year ended December 31, 2021.
Other operating expense, net for the year ended December 31, 2022 increased by $166.5 million compared to the year ended December 31, 2021, predominantly driven by the following:
•an increase of $428.1 million related to gross impairment charges on crypto assets held;
•an increase of $19.2 million due to certain platform-related incidents losses; and
•a decrease of $137.3 million in crypto asset realized gains; offset by
•a decrease of $435.4 million attributed to the decrease in the crypto assets sold in order to fulfill customer accommodation transactions, primarily as a result of a decrease in unanticipated system disruptions.
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Interest expense
| Year Ended December 31, | % Change | ||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2022 | 2021 | |||||||||||||||||||
| (in thousands) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Interest expense | $ | 88,901 | $ | 29,160 | $ | — | 205 | % | 100 | % |
During the year ended December 31, 2022, we had interest expense on debt of $88.9 million compared to $29.2 million for the year ended December 31, 2021. The increase in interest expense was predominantly due to a full-year impact of interest expense recognized on our Convertible Notes that were issued in May 2021 and our Senior Notes that were issued in September 2021.
Other expense (income), net
| Year Ended December 31, | % Change | ||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2022 | 2021 | |||||||||||||||||||
| (in thousands) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Other expense (income), net | $ | 265,473 | $ | 20,463 | $ | (248) | 1,197 | % | (8,351) | % |
Other expense (income), net for the year ended December 31, 2022 increased by $245.0 million compared to the year ended December 31, 2021 due to the following:
•an increase in net unrealized and realized losses related to foreign exchange of $61.7 million due to the timing of Euro denominated intercompany settlements and depreciation of the Euro and British Pound against the U.S. dollar;
•realized losses on foreign exchange forward derivative contracts of $59.1 million; and
•an increase in impairment expense recognized on certain strategic equity investments of $101.4 million; offset by
•a decrease in net realized and unrealized gains on investments of $19.4 million related to gains recorded during 2021 primarily due to the remeasurement gain of $8.8 million during the year ended December 31, 2021 related to our previously held investment in Bison Trails, as a result of the acquisition that occurred in February 2021 and other investment gains of $8.1 million.
(Benefit from) provision for income taxes
| Year Ended December 31, | % Change | ||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2022 | 2021 | |||||||||||||||||||
| (in thousands) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| (Benefit from) provision for income taxes | $ | (439,633) | $ | (597,173) | $ | 86,882 | (26) | % | (787) | % |
The benefit from income taxes decreased by $157.5 million for the year ended December 31, 2022 compared to the year ended December 31, 2021 predominantly driven by a reduction in tax benefits relating to stock-based compensation and research and development credits, and a valuation allowance recorded on impairment charges, offset by an increase in tax benefit on pretax loss.
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Non-GAAP Financial Measure
In addition to our results determined in accordance with 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 and 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 important part of our compensation strategy. In addition, other companies, including companies in our industry, may calculate similarly titled non-GAAP measures differently or may use other measures to evaluate their performance, all of which could reduce the usefulness of our non-GAAP financial measures as tools for comparison. A reconciliation is provided below for each non-GAAP financial measure to the most directly comparable financial measure stated in accordance with GAAP. Investors are encouraged to review the related GAAP financial measures and the reconciliation of these non-GAAP financial measures to their most directly comparable GAAP financial measures, and not to rely on any single financial measure to evaluate our business.
We calculate Adjusted EBITDA as net loss or income, 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, impairment on investments, other impairment, non-recurring Direct Listing expenses, restructuring, change in unrealized foreign exchange, fair value gain or loss on derivatives, non-recurring legal reserves and related costs, and other adjustments, net.
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The following table provides a reconciliation of net (loss) income to Adjusted EBITDA:
| Year Ended December 31, | ||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | ||||||||||||||||
| (in thousands) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Net (loss) income | $ | (2,624,949) | $ | 3,624,120 | $ | 322,317 | ||||||||||||
| Adjusted to exclude the following: | ||||||||||||||||||
| (Benefit from) provision for income taxes | (439,633) | (597,173) | 86,882 | |||||||||||||||
| Depreciation and amortization | 154,069 | 63,651 | 30,962 | |||||||||||||||
| Interest expense | 88,901 | 29,160 | — | |||||||||||||||
| Crypto asset borrowing costs | 6,675 | 11,847 | 2,634 | |||||||||||||||
| Stock-based compensation | 1,565,823 | 820,685 | 69,889 | |||||||||||||||
| Crypto asset impairment, net(1) | 592,495 | 119,421 | 8,355 | |||||||||||||||
| Impairment on investments | 101,445 | — | — | |||||||||||||||
| Other impairment(2) | 26,518 | 500 | — | |||||||||||||||
| Non-recurring Direct Listing expenses | — | 39,160 | — | |||||||||||||||
| Restructuring | 40,703 | — | — | |||||||||||||||
| Change in unrealized foreign exchange | 28,516 | (14,944) | 1,057 | |||||||||||||||
| Fair value loss (gain) on derivatives | 7,410 | (32,056) | 5,254 | |||||||||||||||
| Non-recurring legal reserves and related costs | 64,250 | 1,500 | — | |||||||||||||||
| Other adjustments, net | 16,379 | 24,200 | — | |||||||||||||||
| Adjusted EBITDA | $ | (371,398) | $ | 4,090,071 | $ | 527,350 |
______________
(1)Crypto asset impairment, net represents impairment on crypto assets still held.
(2)Other impairment represents impairment on intangible assets of $4.7 million and $0.5 million for the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, respectively, and impairment on property and equipment of $21.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2022.
Liquidity and Capital Resources
Cash and cash equivalents, restricted cash and USDC
As of December 31, 2022, we had cash and cash equivalents of $4.4 billion, exclusive of restricted cash and customer custodial funds. As of December 31, 2022 and 2021, our cash and cash equivalents, restricted cash, USDC and cash collateral balance consisted of the following (in millions):
| Year Ended December 31, | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 2021 | |||||
| Cash and cash equivalents: | ||||||
| Cash equivalents(1) | $ | 2,250.1 | $ | 4,813.6 | ||
| Cash held at banks | 2,031.7 | 2,141.0 | ||||
| Cash held at venues | 143.2 | 168.9 | ||||
| Total cash and cash equivalents | $ | 4,425.0 | $ | 7,123.5 | ||
| Restricted cash(2) | $ | 25.9 | $ | 31.0 | ||
| USDC(3) | 861.1 | 100.1 |
_________________________
(1) Cash equivalents consists of money market funds primarily denominated in U.S. dollars.
(2) Restricted cash consists primarily of amounts held in restricted bank accounts at certain third-party banks as security deposits or pledged as collateral to secure letters of credit.
(3) USDC is a stablecoin which can be redeemed one USDC for one U.S. dollar on demand. While not accounted for as cash or cash equivalents, we treat our USDC holdings as a liquidity resource.
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Debt
In September 2021, we issued $2.0 billion in Senior Notes consisting of $1.0 billion of 2028 Senior Notes due on October 1, 2028 and $1.0 billion of 2031 Senior Notes due on October 1, 2031. In May 2021, we issued an aggregate of $1.4 billion of 2026 Convertible Notes that mature on June 1, 2026, unless converted, redeemed or repurchased on an earlier date. We periodically issue short-term debt to support certain business operations. See Notes 12. Accrued Expenses and Other Current Liabilities and 13. Indebtedness of the Notes to our consolidated financial statements included in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K for further information regarding our short and long-term borrowings, respectively.
In August 2022, S&P Global Ratings announced a downgrade of our issuer credit rating and senior unsecured debt from BB+ to BB. In January 2023, S&P Global Ratings announced an additional downgrade of our issuer credit rating and senior unsecured debt from BB to BB-.
In June 2022, Moody’s Investors Service (“Moody’s”) announced a downgrade of our Corporate Family Rating (“CFR”) to Ba3 from Ba2 and downgraded our guaranteed senior unsecured notes to Ba2 from Ba1. In January 2023, Moody’s announced additional downgrades of our CFR to B2 from Ba3 and our guaranteed senior unsecured notes to B1 from Ba2.
Crypto assets
Our crypto asset investment policy allows us to invest up to 10% of our quarterly net income into a diversified portfolio of crypto assets. Our investments will be deployed over a multi-quarter window. We continue to execute these trades away from our crypto asset trading platform to avoid any conflict of interest with our customers. We may increase or decrease our allocation over time.
As of December 31, 2022, we held $356.2 million of crypto assets for investment and operating purposes at impaired cost. Our future earnings and cash flows will be impacted when we choose to monetize our crypto assets and the variability of our earnings will be dependent on the future fair value of such crypto assets. We have limited ability to predict whether the sale of crypto assets received from airdrops or forks will be material to our future earnings, which is dependent on the future market liquidity, viability and fair value of such crypto assets. Our current policy is not to monetize unsupported forks or airdrops held on our platform. Crypto assets received through airdrops and forks, at the time of the airdrop or fork and at the end of the periods presented, are not material to our financial statements.
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As of December 31, 2022 and 2021, the cost basis and fair value of our crypto assets held at impaired cost was as follows:
| Year Ended December 31, | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 2021 | |||||||||||||
| Cost(1) | Fair Value(2) | Cost(1) | Fair Value(2) | |||||||||||
| (in millions) | ||||||||||||||
| Crypto assets held as investments: | ||||||||||||||
| Bitcoin(3) | $ | 111.6 | $ | 151.8 | $ | 87.9 | $ | 265.8 | ||||||
| Ethereum(3) | 91.2 | 138.7 | 46.1 | 167.1 | ||||||||||
| Other | 85.9 | 135.8 | 75.4 | 263.1 | ||||||||||
| Total crypto assets held as investments | 288.7 | 426.3 | 209.4 | 696.0 | ||||||||||
| Crypto assets held for operating purposes: | ||||||||||||||
| Bitcoin | 5.4 | 5.8 | 95.5 | 97.9 | ||||||||||
| Ethereum | 24.4 | 25.8 | 58.2 | 75.4 | ||||||||||
| Other | 37.7 | 59.1 | 203.4 | 267.5 | ||||||||||
| Total crypto assets held for operating purposes | 67.5 | 90.7 | 357.1 | 440.8 | ||||||||||
| Total crypto assets held | $ | 356.2 | $ | 517.0 | $ | 566.5 | $ | 1,136.8 |
__________________
(1)Cost amounts shown are net of impairment recognized.
(2)The fair value of crypto assets held is based on quoted market prices for one unit of each crypto asset reported on our platform at 11:59 pm Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) on the last day of the respective period multiplied by the quantity of each crypto asset held.
(3)During the fourth quarter of 2022, we entered into futures contracts to hedge our price exposure on crypto assets held as investments. As of December 31, 2022, the cost and fair value amounts for Bitcoin were $89.9 million and $85.8 million, respectively, and the cost and fair value amounts for Ethereum were $43.7 million and $50.8 million, respectively.
We view our crypto asset investments as long term holdings and we do not plan to engage in regular trading of crypto assets. During times of instability in the market of crypto assets, we may not be able to sell our crypto assets at reasonable prices or at all. As a result, our crypto assets are less liquid than our existing cash and cash equivalents and may not be able to serve as a source of liquidity for us to the same extent as cash and cash equivalents. Customer accommodations and corporate expenses denominated in crypto assets are fulfilled with crypto assets held for operational purposes. We recognized $501.0 million and $43.1 million of impairment expense on our crypto asset investment portfolio for the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, respectively.
We enter into fiat and crypto asset borrowing arrangements with certain unaffiliated institutional customers. These borrowings are generally open-term or have a term of less than one year. Certain borrowing arrangements require us to post collateral in the form of fiat or crypto assets, including stablecoins, and the lender may have the right to sell, repledge or rehypothecate such collateral without our consent. We only use our corporate crypto assets, stablecoins, and cash as collateral. We do not use cbETH as corporate collateral.
We are required to maintain a collateral to loan ratio per our borrowing agreements. Any significant change in crypto asset prices could impact the value of the crypto asset borrowed or the value of crypto asset collateral. Current downward trends in crypto asset prices have not had a material impact on the value of our corporate collateral. If crypto asset prices rise, we will post additional collateral to maintain required collateral to loan ratios. We were in compliance with all collateral requirements as of December 31, 2022. See Risk Factors—We provide secured loans to our customers, which exposes us to credit risks and may cause us to incur financial or reputational harm included in Part I, Item 1A of this Annual Report on Form 10-K for further information.
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As of December 31, 2022, the balance of our pledged collateral consisted of the following (in millions, except units):
| December 31, 2022 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Units | Fair Value | ||||
| Asset | |||||
| USDC | 47,633,897 | $ | 47.6 | ||
| Bitcoin | 650 | 10.8 | |||
| Fiat | N/A | 41.6 | |||
| Total | $ | 100.0 |
As of December 31, 2021, we did not have any assets pledged as collateral recorded on the consolidated balance sheets.
Customer crypto assets and liabilities
We safeguard customer crypto assets and the associated keys and are obligated to safeguard them from loss, theft, or other misuse. In accordance with recently adopted guidance, SAB 121, we record customer crypto liabilities, as well as a corresponding customer crypto asset on the consolidated balance sheets, at fair value. See Note 10. Customer Assets and Liabilities of the Notes to our consolidated financial statements included in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K, for further information as of December 31, 2022.
As of December 31, 2022, we have not experienced excessive redemptions or withdrawals, or prolonged suspended redemptions or withdrawals, of crypto assets to date. See Risk Factors - Depositing and withdrawing crypto assets into and from our platform involves risks, which could result in loss of customer assets, customer disputes and other liabilities, which could adversely impact our business. in Part I, Item 1A of this Annual Report on Form 10-K for further information. We do not use customer crypto assets as collateral for any loan, margin, rehypothecation, or other similar activities without their consent to which we or our affiliates are a party.
Cash requirements and contractual obligations
Certain jurisdictions where we operate require us to hold eligible liquid assets, as defined by applicable regulatory requirements and commercial law in these jurisdictions, equal to at least 100% of the aggregate amount of all customer custodial cash liabilities. Depending on the jurisdiction, eligible liquid assets can include cash and cash equivalents, customer custodial cash, and in-transit customer receivables. As of December 31, 2022 and 2021, our eligible liquid assets were greater than the aggregate amount of customer custodial cash liabilities. We are also required to hold corporate liquid assets at our subsidiaries to meet capital requirements established by our regulators based on the value of crypto assets held in custody. We are in compliance with these capital requirements.
We believe our existing cash and cash equivalents will be sufficient in both the short and long term to meet our requirements and plans for cash, including meeting our working capital and capital expenditure requirements. Our ability to meet our requirements and plans for cash, including meeting our working capital and capital expenditure requirements, will depend on many factors, including market acceptance of crypto assets and blockchain technology, our growth, our ability to attract and retain customers on our platform, the continuing market acceptance of our products and services, the introduction of new subscription products and services on our platform, expansion of sales and marketing activities, and overall economic conditions. We anticipate satisfying our short-term cash requirements with our existing cash and cash equivalents and may satisfy our long-term cash requirements with cash and cash equivalents on hand or with proceeds from a future equity or debt financing.
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To the extent that current and anticipated future sources of liquidity are insufficient to fund our future business activities and cash and other requirements, we may be required to seek additional equity or debt financing. The sale of additional equity would result in additional dilution to our stockholders. The incurrence of additional debt financing would result in debt service obligations and the instruments governing such debt could provide for operating and financing covenants that would restrict our operations. As a result of our downgrade, our ability to raise additional financing from external sources in the future may be adversely affected and we may not be able to raise capital on terms acceptable to us or at all. In addition, even if debt financing is available, the cost of additional financing may be significantly higher than our current debt.
Our material cash requirements and contractual obligations arising in the normal course of business primarily consist of operating lease commitments, non-cancelable purchase obligations, debt and related interest payments, and income taxes.
As of December 31, 2022, our material cash requirements and contractual obligations due within the next 12 months and in total consisted of the following (in millions):
| Amounts due | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Next 12 Months | Total | |||||
| Operating leases(1) | $ | 37.0 | $ | 79.5 | ||
| Non-cancelable purchase obligations(2) | 282.6 | 628.4 | ||||
| 2026 Convertible Notes(3) | ||||||
| Interest | 7.2 | 24.6 | ||||
| Principal | — | 1,437.5 | ||||
| 2028 Senior Notes(4) | ||||||
| Interest | 33.8 | 202.5 | ||||
| Principal | — | 1,000.0 | ||||
| 2031 Senior Notes(4) | ||||||
| Interest | 36.3 | 326.3 | ||||
| Principal | — | 1,000.0 | ||||
| Other(5) | 50.0 | 100.0 |
_______________
(1) Lease payments due for corporate offices.
(2) Committed spend primarily relating to technology and advertising.
(3) Assumes the 2026 Convertible Notes are not converted into our Class A common stock, repurchased or redeemed prior maturity.
(4) Assumes the 2028 and 2031 Senior Notes are not repurchased or redeemed prior to maturity.
(5) In January 2023, the NYDFS announced a consent order focused on historical shortcomings in Coinbase, Inc.’s compliance program. Pursuant to the consent order, Coinbase, Inc. has paid a $50.0 million penalty in January 2023 and agreed to invest an additional $50.0 million in its compliance function by the end of 2024.
See Notes 7. Leases, 12. Accrued Expenses and Other Current Liabilities, 13. Indebtedness, 19. Income Taxes and 21. Commitments and Contingencies of the Notes to our consolidated financial statements included in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K, for further information relating to debt and income taxes as of December 31, 2022.
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Cash flows
| Year Ended December 31, | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | ||||||||
| (in thousands) | ||||||||||
| Net cash (used in) provided by operating activities(1) | $ | (1,585,419) | $ | 4,038,172 | $ | 293,548 | ||||
| Net cash (used in) provided by investing activities | (663,822) | (1,124,740) | 50,822 | |||||||
| Net cash (used in) provided by financing activities(1) | (5,838,518) | 9,976,084 | 2,729,323 | |||||||
| Net (decrease) increase in cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash | $ | (8,087,759) | $ | 12,889,516 | $ | 3,073,693 | ||||
| Effect of exchange rates on cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash | $ | (163,257) | $ | (64,883) | $ | (2,081) | ||||
| Change in customer custodial cash | $ | (5,547,481) | $ | 6,762,841 | $ | 2,562,042 |
_____________________
(1) See Note 2. Summary of Significant Accounting Policies - Reclassifications of the Notes to our consolidated financial statements included in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K, for further information relating to the change in customer custodial cash liabilities from operating activities to financing activities.
Operating activities
Net cash used in operating activities was $1.6 billion for the year ended December 31, 2022. Our net cash used in operating activities reflected a net loss of $2.6 billion, partially offset by non-cash adjustments of $2.1 billion, which was driven by stock-based compensation expense, crypto asset impairment expense, depreciation and amortization, impairment expense on ventures investments, non-cash lease expense, unrealized losses on foreign exchange, and other impairment expense. This was partially offset by deferred income taxes and realized gains on crypto assets driven by net crypto assets received from operating activities. In addition to these changes were changes in operating assets and liabilities of $1.0 billion.
Net cash provided by operating activities was $4.0 billion for the year ended December 31, 2021. Our net cash provided by operating activities reflected net income of $3.6 billion and non-cash adjustments of $272.6 million, which was driven by benefits from deferred income taxes and realized gains on crypto assets driven by net crypto assets received from operating activities. This was partially offset by stock-based compensation expense, crypto asset impairment expense and depreciation and amortization expense. In addition to these changes were changes in operating assets and liabilities of $141.4 million.
Investing activities
Net cash used in investing activities of $663.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2022 was due to $430.8 million in net outflow for the purchase and sale of crypto assets, $186.2 million in net cash paid in the Unbound Security and FairXchange acquisitions, $63.0 million in investments of companies and technologies and $61.0 million in capitalized internal-use software development costs. This was partially offset by $120.2 million in net inflow for consumer loans repaid and originated.
Net cash used in investing activities of $1.1 billion for the year ended December 31, 2021 was due to $435.1 million in net outflow for the purchase and sale of crypto assets, $326.5 million in investments of companies and technologies, $211.7 million in net outflow for consumer loans originated and repaid, $70.9 million in net cash paid for acquisitions, $60.8 million related to an asset acquisition of technical talent and $22.1 million in capitalized internal-use software development costs.
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Financing activities
Net cash used in financing activities of $5.8 billion for the year ended December 31, 2022 was due to changes in customer custodial cash liabilities of $5.6 billion, $351.9 million of taxes paid related to net share settlements of equity awards and $191.1 million in repayments of short-term borrowings. This was partially offset by $191.0 million of proceeds received from the issuance of short-term borrowings, net of issuance costs, $51.5 million of proceeds from the issuance of common stock from stock option exercises, net of repurchases, and $20.8 million of proceeds received under our employee stock purchase plan.
Net cash provided by financing activities of $10.0 billion for the year ended December 31, 2021, was due to changes in customer custodial cash liabilities of $6.7 billion, $2.0 billion of proceeds from the issuance of our Senior Notes, net of issuance costs and $1.4 billion of proceeds from the issuance of 2026 Convertible Notes, net of issuances costs, $217.1 million of proceeds from the issuance of common stock from stock option exercises, net of repurchases, $20.0 million of proceeds from the issuance of a short-term borrowing, and $19.9 million of proceeds received under our employee stock purchase plan. This was partially offset by $262.8 million of taxes paid related to net share settlement of equity awards and the purchase of $90.1 million of capped calls in connection with the 2026 Convertible Notes.
Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates
Our consolidated financial statements and the related notes included elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K are prepared in accordance with GAAP. The preparation of consolidated financial statements also requires us to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenue, costs, and expenses and related disclosures. We base our estimates on historical experience and on various other assumptions that we believe to be reasonable under the circumstances. Actual results could differ significantly from our estimates. To the extent that there are differences between our estimates and actual results, our future financial statement presentation, financial condition, operating results, and cash flows will be affected.
See Note 2. Summary of Significant Accounting Policies, of the Notes to the consolidated financial statements in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K for a summary of significant accounting policies and the effect on our financial statements.
Revenue recognition
We primarily generate revenue through transaction fees charged on our platform. We charge a fee at the transaction level. The transaction price, represented by the trading fee, is calculated based on volume and may vary depending on payment type and the value of the transaction. The transaction fee is collected from the customer at the time the transaction is executed. In certain instances, the transaction fee can be collected in crypto assets, with revenue measured based on the amount of crypto assets received and the fair value of the crypto assets at the time of the transaction. For the year ended December 31, 2022, we collected approximately 15% of total revenue in crypto assets. We currently do not have any formal policies requiring conversion of these crypto assets received into fiat currency.
The transaction price includes estimates for reductions in revenue from transaction fee reversals that may not be recovered from customers. Such reversals occur when the customer disputes a transaction processed on their credit card or their bank account for a variety of reasons and seeks to have the charge reversed after we have processed the transaction. These amounts are estimated based upon the most likely amount of consideration to which we will be entitled. All estimates are based on historical experience and our best judgment at the time to the extent it is probable that a significant reversal of revenue previously recognized will not occur. All estimates of variable consideration are reassessed periodically. The total transaction price is allocated to the single performance obligation. While we recognize transaction fee reversals due to transaction reversals as a reduction of net revenue, crypto asset losses due to transaction reversals are included in transaction expense.
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Business combinations
We account for our business combinations using the acquisition method of accounting, which requires, among other things, allocation of the fair value of purchase consideration to the tangible and intangible assets acquired and liabilities assumed at their estimated fair values on the acquisition date. When determining the fair value of assets acquired and liabilities assumed, we make significant estimates and assumptions, especially with respect to non-crypto intangible assets. These intangible assets do not have observable prices. We have generally applied a cost approach in estimating the fair values of acquired intangible assets, with the number of working hours required to recreate the intangible asset being a significant input to the estimate. Our estimates of fair value are based upon assumptions believed to be reasonable, but which are inherently uncertain and, as a result, actual results may differ from estimates.
Income taxes
We utilize the asset and liability method for computing our income tax provision. Deferred tax assets and liabilities reflect the expected future consequences of temporary differences between the financial reporting and tax bases of assets and liabilities as well as operating loss, capital loss, and tax credit carryforwards, using enacted tax rates. Management makes estimates, assumptions, and judgments to determine our provision for income taxes, deferred tax assets and liabilities, and any valuation allowance recorded against deferred tax assets. We assess the likelihood that our deferred tax assets will be recovered from future taxable income and, to the extent we believe that recovery is not likely, we establish a valuation allowance.
We recognize the tax benefit from an uncertain tax position only if it is more likely than not the tax position will be sustained on examination by the taxing authorities, based on the technical merits of the position. The tax benefits recognized from such positions are then measured based on the largest benefit that has a greater than 50% likelihood of being realized upon settlement. Interest and penalties related to unrecognized tax benefits are recognized within provision for income taxes.
For U.S. federal tax purposes, crypto asset transactions are treated on the same tax principles as property transactions. We recognize a gain or loss when crypto assets are exchanged for other property, in the amount of the difference between the fair market value of the property received and the tax basis of the exchanged crypto assets. Receipts of crypto assets in exchange for goods or services are included in taxable income at the fair market value on the date of receipt.
Recent Accounting Pronouncements
See Note 2. Summary of Significant Accounting Policies, of the Notes to the consolidated financial statements in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K for a discussion about new accounting pronouncements adopted and not yet adopted as of the date of this report.
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FY 2021 10-K MD&A
SEC filing source: 0001679788-22-000031.
Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
The following discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations should be read in conjunction with our consolidated financial statements and the accompanying notes thereto included elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. The following discussion and analysis contain forward looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties, as well as assumptions that, if they never materialize or prove incorrect, could cause our results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward looking statements. Factors that could cause or contribute to these differences include, but are not limited to, those identified below and those discussed in the section titled "Risk Factors” in Part I, Item 1A of this Annual Report on Form 10-K. Unless otherwise expressly stated or the context otherwise requires, references to “we,” “our,” “us,” “the Company,” and “Coinbase” refer to Coinbase Global, Inc. and its consolidated subsidiaries. The information contained on, or that can be accessed through, our website is not incorporated by reference into, and is not a part of, this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
Discussions of 2019 items and year-to-year comparisons between 2020 and 2019 are not included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, and can be found in the section titled “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” in our final prospectus dated April 1, 2021 and filed with the SEC pursuant to Rule 424(b)(4) on April 14, 2021.
Executive Overview
This executive overview highlights selected information and does not contain all of the information that is important to readers of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
2021 was a year of tremendous growth and development in the cryptoeconomy, as well as for Coinbase. The total crypto market capitalization at the end of Q4 was $2.3 trillion 𑁋 up nearly three-fold from approximately $800.0 billion at the end of 2020 𑁋 and hit a peak of $3.1 trillion in November 2021. Bitcoin and Ethereum prices reached new highs that were 247% and 457% higher, respectively, than prior peaks seen in 2017, with Bitcoin itself nearly reaching $1.3 trillion in market capitalization in Q4.
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For the year ended December 31, 2021, we generated $7.4 billion of net revenue, $3.6 billion of net income, $4.1 billion of Adjusted EBITDA, and 11.4 million MTUs. For the year ended December 31, 2020, we generated $1.1 billion of net revenue, $322.3 million of net income, $527.4 million of Adjusted EBITDA, and 2.8 million MTUs. In 2021, we saw an increase in all of our key business metrics compared to 2020, became the first publicly traded crypto asset trading platform, and made substantial progress in building a best-in-class infrastructure to enable easy, safe, and secure on-ramps and access into the global cryptoeconomy.
Key Business Metrics
In addition to the measures presented in our consolidated financial statements, we use the following key business metrics to evaluate our business, measure our performance, identify trends affecting our business, and make strategic decisions:
| December 31, | % Change | ||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2021 | 2020 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Verified Users (in millions) | 89 | 43 | 32 | 107 | % | 34 | % | ||||||||||||||||
| MTUs(1) (in millions) | 11.4 | 2.8 | 1.0 | 307 | % | 180 | % | ||||||||||||||||
| Assets on Platform (in billions) | $ | 278 | $ | 90 | $ | 17 | 209 | % | 432 | % | |||||||||||||
| Trading Volume (in billions) | $ | 1,671 | $ | 193 | $ | 80 | 766 | % | 141 | % | |||||||||||||
| Net income (loss) (in millions) | $ | 3,624 | $ | 322 | $ | (30) | 1,025 | % | 1,173 | % | |||||||||||||
| Adjusted EBITDA(2) (in millions) | $ | 4,090 | $ | 527 | $ | 24 | 676 | % | 2,096 | % |
___________________
(1)MTUs presented above for the years ended December 31 are the average of each month’s MTUs in the fourth quarter. The annual average of MTUs for the years ended December 31, 2021, December 31, 2020, and December 31, 2019 were 8.4 million, 1.9 million, and 1.1 million.
(2)Please see the section titled “𑁋 Non-GAAP Financial Measure” below for a reconciliation of net income to Adjusted EBITDA and an explanation for why we consider Adjusted EBITDA to be a helpful metric for investors.
Verified Users
We define “Verified Users” as all retail users, institutions, and ecosystem partners that have registered an account on our platform and confirmed either their email address or phone number, or that have established an account with a username on our non-custodial wallet application, as of the date of measurement. Verified Users are an indication of our scale and represent a potential revenue opportunity for us. These customers have demonstrated an interest in our platform or direct intent to transact with crypto assets. Verified Users represent the top level of our customer acquisition funnel. We believe we have an opportunity to engage Verified Users and convert them to MTUs by marketing our growing suite of products and services. Verified Users may overstate the number of unique customers who have registered an account on our platform as one customer may register for, and use, multiple accounts with different email addresses, phone numbers, or usernames.
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Monthly Transacting Users
We define an MTU as a retail user who actively or passively transacts in one or more products on our platform at least once during the rolling 28-day period ending on the date of measurement. MTUs presented as of the end of a quarter are the average of each month’s MTUs in each respective quarter. MTUs presented as of the end of a year represent the MTUs for the last quarter of that year. The annual average MTUs for the years ended December 31, 2021, December 31, 2020, and December 31, 2019 were 8.4 million, 1.9 million, and 1.1 million, respectively. MTUs represent our transacting base of retail users who drive potential revenue generating transactions on our platform. MTUs engage in transactions that generate both transaction revenue and subscription and services revenue. Revenue generating transactions include active transactions such as buying or selling crypto assets through our Invest product or passive transactions such as earning a staking reward. MTUs also engage in transactions that are non-revenue generating such as send and receive. MTUs may overstate the number of unique retail users due to differences in product architecture.
Assets on Platform
We define “Assets on Platform” as the total U.S. dollar equivalent value of both fiat currency and crypto assets held or managed in digital wallets on our platform, including our custody services, calculated based on the market price on the date of measurement. Assets on Platform demonstrates the scale of balances held across our suite of products and services, the trust customers place in us to securely store their assets, and the underlying growth of the cryptoeconomy. Assets on Platform also represent our monetization opportunity for subscription products and services, including current products such as Custody, Stake, Borrow, and Lend. Assets on Platform generate fees that are recorded as subscription and services revenue when customers engage with these products.
The value of Assets on Platform is driven by three factors: the price, quantity, and type of crypto assets held by customers on our platform. Changes in the price and quantity, particularly for Bitcoin and Ethereum, or type of crypto asset held on our platform, can result in the growth or decline in Assets on Platform in a particular period. Our Assets on Platform by asset are as follows:
| As of December 31, | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | ||||||
| Assets on Platform: | ||||||||
| Bitcoin | 40 | % | 70 | % | 70 | % | ||
| Ethereum | 25 | 13 | 9 | |||||
| Other crypto assets | 31 | 13 | 15 | |||||
| Fiat | 4 | 4 | 6 | |||||
| Total | 100 | % | 100 | % | 100 | % |
During the years ended December 31, 2021 and December 31, 2020, no asset other than Bitcoin and Ethereum individually represented more than 10% of our Assets on Platform.
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Trading Volume
We define “Trading Volume” as the total U.S. dollar equivalent value of matched trades transacted between a buyer and seller through our platform during the period of measurement. Trading Volume represents the product of the quantity of asset transacted and the trade price at the time the transaction was executed. As trading activity directly impacts transaction revenue, we believe this measure is a reflection of liquidity on our order books, trading health, and the underlying growth of the cryptoeconomy. Trading Volume on our platform is influenced by the price of crypto assets and Crypto Asset Volatility1. In periods of high crypto asset prices and Crypto Asset Volatility, we have experienced correspondingly high levels of Trading Volume on our platform. Our trading volume in future periods will depend on the relative availability and adoption of Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Other crypto assets.
| Year Ended December 31, | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | ||||||||||
| Trading Volume (in billions): | ||||||||||||
| Retail | $ | 535 | $ | 73 | $ | 35 | ||||||
| Institutional | 1,136 | 120 | 45 | |||||||||
| Total | $ | 1,671 | $ | 193 | $ | 80 | ||||||
| Trading Volume by crypto asset: | ||||||||||||
| Bitcoin | 24 | % | 41 | % | 58 | % | ||||||
| Ethereum | 21 | % | 15 | % | 14 | % | ||||||
| Litecoin | 3 | % | 4 | % | 10 | % | ||||||
| Other crypto assets | 52 | % | 40 | % | 18 | % | ||||||
| Total | 100 | % | 100 | % | 100 | % | ||||||
| Transaction revenue by crypto asset: | ||||||||||||
| Bitcoin | 25 | % | 44 | % | 60 | % | ||||||
| Ethereum | 21 | % | 12 | % | 11 | % | ||||||
| Other crypto assets | 54 | % | 44 | % | 29 | % | ||||||
| Total | 100 | % | 100 | % | 100 | % |
Crypto assets other than Bitcoin and Ethereum, or Other crypto assets, continued to contribute a greater share of Trading Volume during the year ended December 31, 2021. Approximately 55% of our total Trading Volume came from Other crypto assets, up from 44% in 2020. This trend is consistent with the overall crypto market where crypto assets other than Bitcoin and Ethereum comprised a larger percent of spot market trading volumes during the year ended December 31, 2021 compared to the year ended December 31, 2020. Additionally, we continue to add trading support for new crypto assets, which contributes to the increased trading concentration in Other crypto assets. In 2021 and 2020, we added trading support for 95 and 21 Other crypto assets, respectively.
During the years ended December 31, 2021 and December 31, 2020, no asset other than Bitcoin and Ethereum individually represented more than 10% of our Trading Volume or transaction revenue.
1 “Crypto Asset Volatility” represents our internal measure of crypto volatility in the market relative to prior periods. The volatility of crypto assets is measured on an hourly basis (using 10 minute price intervals within each hour) for each crypto asset supported for trading on Coinbase, averaged over the applicable time period (quarterly), then weighted by each crypto asset’s share of total trading volume during the same time period across a select set of trading platforms, in addition to the Coinbase platform, that operate in similar markets including itBit, Bitfinex, Bitstamp, bitFlyer, Binance.US, Binance, Kraken, Gemini, Bittrex, and Poloniex.
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Components of Results of Operations
Net revenue
Transaction revenue
We generate substantially all of our net revenue from transaction fees from trades that occur on our platform. The transaction fee earned is based on the price and quantity of the crypto asset that is bought, sold, or withdrawn. Transaction revenue is recognized at the time the transaction is processed and is directly correlated with Trading Volume on our platform.
Subscription and services revenue
Subscription and services revenue primarily consists of:
•Blockchain rewards: We derive Blockchain rewards through various blockchain protocols where we control the staking validator address. These blockchain protocols, or the participants that form the protocol networks, reward users for performing various activities on the blockchain, such as participating in proof-of-stake networks. We earn Blockchain rewards in crypto assets.
Our Staking revenue is included within Blockchain rewards, except for delegation services that are offered as part of Coinbase Cloud and included in Other subscription and services revenue. We believe Blockchain rewards better represents the various monetization opportunities available to us through blockchains and protocols.
•Custodial fee revenue: We derive custodial fee revenue based on a percentage of the daily value of customer crypto assets that we hold under custody in our dedicated cold storage solution. The value of crypto assets held under custody is driven by the same factors as Assets on Platform - the quantity, price, and type of crypto asset.
•Earn campaign revenue: We provide asset issuers with a platform to engage with our users through education videos and tasks where users can earn crypto assets that they learned about. We earn a commission based on the amount of crypto assets distributed to our users.
•Interest income: We earn interest income on fiat funds under a revenue sharing arrangement and on customer custodial fiat funds held at certain third-party banks, which is calculated using the interest method. Our interest income is dependent on the balance of such fiat funds and the prevailing interest rate environment. We also earn interest income on loans granted to our retail and institutional users.
•Other: Other subscription and services revenue primarily includes revenue from Coinbase Cloud, which includes staking application, delegation, and infrastructure services, as well as revenue from subscription licenses.
Other revenue
Other revenue includes the sale of crypto assets when we are the principal in the transaction. Periodically, as an accommodation to customers, we may fulfill customer transactions using our own crypto assets. We fulfill customer accommodation transactions using our own assets for orders that do not meet the minimum trade size for execution on our platform or to maintain customers’ trade execution and processing times during unanticipated system disruptions. We have custody and control of these crypto assets prior to the sale to the customer and record revenue at the point in time when the sale is processed. Accordingly, we record the total value of the sale as revenue and the cost of the crypto asset in other operating expense, net. Transactions involving our sale of crypto assets represented 6.2% of our total revenue for the year ended December 31, 2021.
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Other revenue also includes interest income earned primarily on our corporate cash and cash equivalents. Interest income is calculated using the interest method and depends on the balance of cash and cash equivalents as well as the prevailing interest rate environment.
Operating expenses
Operating expenses consist of transaction, technology and development, sales and marketing, general and administrative, restructuring expenses, and other operating expense.
Transaction expense
Transaction expense includes costs incurred to operate our platform, process crypto asset trades, and perform wallet services. These costs include account verification fees, miner fees to process transactions on blockchain networks, fees paid to payment processors and other financial institutions for customer transaction activity, and crypto asset losses due to transaction reversals. Transaction expense also includes rewards paid to users for blockchain activities conducted by us, such as staking. Fixed-fee costs are expensed over the term of the contract and transaction-level costs are expensed as incurred.
Technology and development
Technology and development expenses include personnel-related expenses incurred in operating, maintaining, and enhancing our platform. These costs also include website hosting, infrastructure expenses, costs incurred in developing new products and services and the amortization of acquired developed technology.
Sales and marketing
Sales and marketing expenses primarily include costs related to customer acquisition, advertising and marketing programs, and personnel-related expenses. Sales and marketing costs are expensed as incurred.
General and administrative
General and administrative expenses include personnel-related expenses incurred to support our business, including legal, finance, compliance, human resources, customer support, executive, and other support operations. These costs also include software subscriptions for support services, facilities and equipment costs, depreciation, amortization of acquired customer relationship intangible assets, gains and losses on disposal of fixed assets, legal reserves and settlements, and other general overhead. General and administrative costs are expensed as incurred.
Other operating expense, net
Other operating expense, net includes cost of our crypto assets used to fulfill customer accommodation transactions. Periodically, as an accommodation to customers, we may fulfill customer transactions using our own crypto assets. We have custody and control of the crypto assets prior to the sale to the customer. Accordingly, we record the total value of the sale in other revenue and the cost of the crypto asset in other operating expense.
Other operating expense, net also includes impairment and realized gains on the sale of crypto assets, realized gains and losses resulting from the settlement of derivative instruments, and fair value gains and losses related to derivatives and derivatives designated in qualifying fair value hedge accounting relationships.
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Other expense (income), net
Other expense (income), net includes the following items:
•gains and losses on investments, net, which consists primarily of realized and unrealized gains and losses from fair value adjustments on investments;
•realized impacts on foreign exchange resulting from the settlement of our foreign currency assets and liabilities as well unrealized impacts on foreign exchange resulting from remeasurement of transactions and monetary assets and liabilities denominated in non-functional currencies; and
•interest expense on our Convertible Notes and Senior Notes.
(Benefit from) provision for income taxes
(Benefit from) provision for income taxes includes income taxes related to foreign jurisdictions and U.S. federal and state income taxes.
Results of Operations
The following table summarizes the historical consolidated statements of operations data:
| Year Ended December 31, | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | ||||||||
| (in thousands) | ||||||||||
| Revenue: | ||||||||||
| Net revenue | $ | 7,354,753 | $ | 1,141,167 | $ | 482,949 | ||||
| Other revenue | 484,691 | 136,314 | 50,786 | |||||||
| Total revenue | 7,839,444 | 1,277,481 | 533,735 | |||||||
| Operating expenses: | ||||||||||
| Transaction expense | 1,267,924 | 135,514 | 82,055 | |||||||
| Technology and development | 1,291,561 | 271,732 | 185,044 | |||||||
| Sales and marketing | 663,689 | 56,782 | 24,150 | |||||||
| General and administrative | 909,392 | 279,880 | 231,929 | |||||||
| Restructuring | — | — | 10,140 | |||||||
| Other operating expense, net | 630,308 | 124,622 | 46,200 | |||||||
| Total operating expenses | 4,762,874 | 868,530 | 579,518 | |||||||
| Operating income (loss) | 3,076,570 | 408,951 | (45,783) | |||||||
| Other expense (income), net | 49,623 | (248) | (367) | |||||||
| Income (loss) before income taxes | 3,026,947 | 409,199 | (45,416) | |||||||
| (Benefit from) provision for income taxes | (597,173) | 86,882 | (15,029) | |||||||
| Net income (loss) | $ | 3,624,120 | $ | 322,317 | $ | (30,387) |
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The following table presents the components of the consolidated statements of operations as a percentage of total revenue:
| Year Ended December 31, | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | ||||||
| Total revenue | 100 | % | 100 | % | 100 | % | ||
| Operating expenses: | ||||||||
| Transaction expense | 16 | 11 | 15 | |||||
| Technology and development | 16 | 21 | 35 | |||||
| Sales and marketing | 9 | 4 | 5 | |||||
| General and administrative | 12 | 22 | 43 | |||||
| Restructuring | — | — | 2 | |||||
| Other operating expense, net | 8 | 10 | 9 | |||||
| Total operating expenses | 61 | 68 | 109 | |||||
| Operating income (loss) | 39 | 32 | (9) | |||||
| Other expense (income), net | — | — | — | |||||
| Income (loss) before income taxes | 39 | 32 | (9) | |||||
| (Benefit from) provision for income taxes | (7) | 7 | (3) | |||||
| Net income (loss) | 46 | % | 25 | % | (6) | % |
Comparison of the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020
Revenue
| Year Ended December 31, | % Change | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2021 | 2020 | |||||||||||||
| (in thousands) | |||||||||||||||||
| Transaction revenue | $ | 6,837,266 | $ | 1,096,174 | $ | 463,005 | 524 | % | 137 | % | |||||||
| Subscription and services revenue | 517,487 | 44,993 | 19,944 | 1,050 | 126 | ||||||||||||
| Other revenue | 484,691 | 136,314 | 50,786 | 256 | 168 | ||||||||||||
| Total revenue | $ | 7,839,444 | $ | 1,277,481 | $ | 533,735 | 514 | 139 |
Transaction revenue for the year ended December 31, 2021 increased by $5.7 billion, or 524%, compared to the year ended December 31, 2020, due to the following:
•Crypto Asset Volatility of 11.0 for the year ended December 31, 2021 increased 49% over the year ended December 31, 2020. Trading Volume on our platform is correlated with higher Crypto Asset Volatility;
•an increase in retail Trading Volume of 633% for the year ended December 31, 2021, due to an increase in both MTUs and the average price of Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Other crypto assets; and
•an increase in the number of crypto assets supported on our platform, from 45 as of December 31, 2020 to 139 as of December 31, 2021. Our ability to expand our support of more crypto assets drove significant Trading Volume.
There are a number of factors that contribute to changes in crypto asset prices and Crypto Asset Volatility, including, but not limited to, changes in the supply and demand for a particular crypto asset, crypto market sentiment, macroeconomic factors, utility of a particular crypto asset, and idiosyncratic events.
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Subscription and services revenue for the year ended December 31, 2021 increased by $472.5 million, or 1,050%, compared to the year ended December 31, 2020, predominantly due to the following:
•an increase in Blockchain rewards of $212.6 million for the year ended December 31, 2021, mainly as a result of increased user participation in reward generating activities, predominantly Staking activities including ETH 2.0 Staking which was launched in 2021;
•an increase in custodial fee revenue of $117.7 million for the year ended December 31, 2021, due to an increase in the average assets under custody of $99.0 billion over the same period. The growth in assets under custody was driven by new and existing customers, an increase of 72 assets supported by custody during the year ended December 31, 2021, and an increase in average crypto asset prices; and
•an increase in Earn campaign revenue of $55.4 million for the year ended December 31, 2021, driven by both an increase in MTUs that engaged with Earn campaigns and an increase in amounts earmarked by asset issuers for distribution over the same period. Our first Earn campaign was launched in June 2020.
Other revenue for the year ended December 31, 2021 increased by $348.4 million, or 256%, compared to the year ended December 31, 2020, driven by an increase in crypto assets sales revenue over the same period. We generated revenue from crypto asset sales where the transactions were fulfilled with our crypto assets to accommodate customers, primarily as a result of unanticipated system disruptions.
For the year ended December 31, 2021, we experienced 16 unanticipated system disruptions, including an exchange disruption, which resulted in $305.6 million of other revenue, or 63% of revenue from crypto asset sales to customers, compared to 12 unanticipated system disruptions which resulted in $94.8 million of other revenue, or 71% of revenue from crypto asset sales to customers for the year ended December 31, 2020. While the number of unanticipated system disruptions increased year-over-year, during the year ended December 31, 2021, the number of disruptions generally declined quarter-over-quarter, with the majority of disruptions taking place in the first half of the year. A system disruption which occurred on May 19, 2021 as a result of unprecedented short term spike in Trading Volume as well as the exchange disruption on September 7, 2021 were primarily responsible for the increase in crypto assets sales revenue during the year ended December 31, 2021.
We continue to make significant investments in database and network infrastructure to support heightened trading volumes on our platform in order to reduce unanticipated system disruptions.
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Operating expenses
| Year Ended December 31, | % Change | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2021 | 2020 | |||||||||||||
| (in thousands) | |||||||||||||||||
| Transaction expense | $ | 1,267,924 | $ | 135,514 | $ | 82,055 | 836 | % | 65 | % | |||||||
| Technology and development | 1,291,561 | 271,732 | 185,044 | 375 | 47 | ||||||||||||
| Sales and marketing | 663,689 | 56,782 | 24,150 | 1,069 | 135 | ||||||||||||
| General and administrative | 909,392 | 279,880 | 231,929 | 225 | 21 | ||||||||||||
| Restructuring | — | — | 10,140 | — | (100) | ||||||||||||
| Other operating expense, net | 630,308 | 124,622 | 46,200 | 406 | 170 | ||||||||||||
| Total operating expenses | $ | 4,762,874 | $ | 868,530 | $ | 579,518 | 448 | 50 |
Transaction expense for the year ended December 31, 2021 increased by $1.1 billion, or 836%, compared to the year ended December 31, 2020. Transaction expense is correlated with our net revenue. Transaction expense as a percentage of net revenue was 17% and 12% for the years ended December 31, 2021 and December 31, 2020, respectively.
The increase in transaction expense for the year ended December 31, 2021, compared to the year ended December 31, 2020, was predominantly due to the following:
•an increase of $519.3 million related to miner fees for the year ended December 31, 2021. This increase was driven by an increase in crypto assets required to pay blockchain network fees such as Ethereum gas prices and an increase in crypto asset prices. Ethereum gas prices rose substantially due to congestion on the network as we saw a surge in DeFi volume throughout the year. We expect this congestion to stabilize and improve as the Ethereum network implements solutions to help reduce transaction congestion;
•an increase of $206.3 million in transaction reversal losses for the year ended December 31, 2021, due to higher payment volume;
•an increase of $138.8 million related to rewards paid or payable to users from blockchain activities such as staking for the year ended December 31, 2021;
•an increase of $101.5 million in account verification fees for the year ended December 31, 2021, due to an increase in new user sign-ups; and
•an increase of $96.4 million in payment processing fees for the year ended December 31, 2021, due to higher settled Retail Trading Volume.
Technology and development expenses for the year ended December 31, 2021 increased by $1.0 billion, or 375%, compared to the year ended December 31, 2020 predominantly due to the following:
•an increase of $788.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2021 in personnel-related expenses due to a 129% increase in headcount growth, issuance of equity instruments in conjunction with business combinations, and higher payroll taxes as a result of increased exercises of stock options in conjunction with our direct listing of our Class A common stock on the Nasdaq Global Select Market on April 14, 2021, or the “Direct Listing. In December 2020, we began granting RSUs to employees which increased our stock-based compensation expense compared to our option grants; and
•an increase of $181.1 million in software and service costs for the year ended December 31, 2021, driven by continued investment in our products and platform. We expect that these costs will continue to increase in the future as we scale our teams and deliver new products and services for the cryptoeconomy.
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Sales and marketing expenses for the year ended December 31, 2021 increased by $606.9 million, or 1,069%, compared to the year ended December 31, 2020. Sales and marketing as a percentage of net revenue was 9.0% and 5.0% during the years ended December 31, 2021 and December 31, 2020, respectively.
The increase in sales and marketing expenses for the year ended December 31, 2021, compared to the year ended December 31, 2020, was predominantly driven by the following:
•an increase of $397.3 million in digital advertising spend for the year ended December 31, 2021;
•an increase of $105.7 million for the year ended December 31, 2021 in personnel-related expenses due to a 164% increase in headcount growth and higher payroll taxes as a result of increased exercises of stock options in conjunction with our Direct Listing. In December 2020, we began granting RSUs to employees which increased our stock-based compensation expense compared to our option grants; and
•an increase of $60.7 million in customer referral and promotion fees for the year ended December 31, 2021, largely due to new user incentive bonuses.
General and administrative expenses for the year ended December 31, 2021, increased by $629.5 million, or 225%, compared to the year ended December 31, 2020, predominantly driven by the following:
•an increase of $341.3 million for the year ended December 31, 2021 in personnel-related expenses due to a 130% increase in headcount growth and higher payroll taxes as a result of increased exercises of stock options in conjunction with our Direct Listing. In December 2020, we began granting RSUs to employees which increased our stock-based compensation expense compared to our option grants;
•an increase of $78.0 million in customer support costs for the year ended December 31, 2021, in order to respond to the increased customer inquiries during periods of high Trading Volume;
•an increase of $64.0 million in corporate business taxes largely due to an increase in net income; and
•$39.2 million of direct listing costs during the first half of 2021 associated with our Direct Listing.
Other operating expense, net for the year ended December 31, 2021, increased by $505.7 million, or 406%, compared to the year ended December 31, 2020, respectively, due to the following:
•an increase of $304.0 million for the year ended December 31, 2021, attributed to crypto assets sold in order to fulfill customer accommodation transactions as a result of unanticipated system disruptions; and
•$119.9 million net impairment on crypto assets decreasing below the carrying value of our crypto assets held during the year.
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Other expense (income), net
| Year Ended December 31, | % Change | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2021 | 2020 | |||||||||||||
| (in thousands) | |||||||||||||||||
| Other expense (income), net | $ | 49,623 | $ | (248) | $ | (367) | (20,109) | % | (32) | % |
During the year ended December 31, 2021, we had other expense (income), net of $49.6 million loss compared to a $0.2 million gain for the year ended December 31, 2020. The change of $49.9 million in losses is largely driven by realized losses from foreign exchange of $61.4 million and interest expense on our Convertible Notes and Senior Notes of $29.2 million, offset by realized gains on investments of $19.1 million and unrealized gains from foreign exchange of $19.9 million.
(Benefit from) provision for income taxes
| Year Ended December 31, | % Change | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2021 | 2020 | |||||||||||||
| (in thousands) | |||||||||||||||||
| (Benefit from) provision for income taxes | $ | (597,173) | $ | 86,882 | $ | (15,029) | (787) | % | (678) | % |
The (benefit from) provision for income tax decreased by $684.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2021 compared to the year ended December 31, 2020. The reduction was primarily driven by the tax effect of higher compensation expenses on deductible stock option exercises at a fair market value as a result of our Direct Listing, net of limitations associated with the related tax deduction. We are entitled to a tax deduction for certain stock-based compensation equal to the difference between the fair market value of our common stock and the strike price, if any, at the date of inclusion in the grantee’s taxable income. Therefore, as our common stock price increases, the amount of allowable deductions will also increase, which could result in a lower effective tax rate. These deductions were higher in 2021 than in prior periods as a result of an elevated amount of exercises and sales post our Direct Listing.
Non-GAAP Financial Measure
In addition to our results determined in accordance with 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 and 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 important part of our compensation strategy. In addition, other companies, including companies in our industry, may calculate similarly titled non-GAAP measures differently or may use other measures to evaluate their performance, all of which could reduce the usefulness of our non-GAAP financial measures as tools for comparison. A reconciliation is provided below for each non-GAAP financial measure to the most directly comparable financial measure stated in accordance with GAAP. Investors are encouraged to review the related GAAP financial measures and the reconciliation of these non-GAAP financial measures to their most directly comparable GAAP financial measures, and not to rely on any single financial measure to evaluate our business.
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We calculate Adjusted EBITDA as net income, adjusted to exclude provision for or benefit from income taxes, depreciation and amortization, interest expense, crypto asset borrowing costs, stock-based compensation expense, impairment, net, non-recurring Direct Listing expenses, restructuring expenses, non-recurring acquisition-related compensation expenses, unrealized gain or loss on foreign exchange, fair value gain or loss on derivatives, non-recurring legal reserves and related costs, and other loss, net.
The following table provides a reconciliation of net income to Adjusted EBITDA:
| Year Ended December 31, | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | ||||||||||||
| (in thousands) | ||||||||||||||
| Net Income (loss) | $ | 3,624,120 | $ | 322,317 | $ | (30,387) | ||||||||
| Adjusted to exclude the following: | ||||||||||||||
| (Benefit from) provision for income taxes | (597,173) | 86,882 | (15,029) | |||||||||||
| Depreciation and amortization | 63,651 | 30,962 | 16,878 | |||||||||||
| Interest expense | 29,160 | — | — | |||||||||||
| Crypto asset borrowing costs | 11,847 | 2,634 | — | |||||||||||
| Stock-based compensation | 820,685 | 69,889 | 31,147 | |||||||||||
| Impairment, net(1) | 119,921 | 8,355 | 2,252 | |||||||||||
| Non-recurring Direct Listing expenses | 39,160 | — | — | |||||||||||
| Restructuring | — | — | 10,140 | |||||||||||
| Non-recurring acquisition-related compensation expenses | — | — | 7,370 | |||||||||||
| Unrealized (gain) loss on foreign exchange | (14,944) | 1,057 | (3,106) | |||||||||||
| Fair value (gain) loss on derivatives | (32,056) | 5,254 | — | |||||||||||
| Legal reserves and related costs | 1,500 | — | 5,000 | |||||||||||
| Other loss, net(2) | 24,200 | — | — | |||||||||||
| Adjusted EBITDA | $ | 4,090,071 | $ | 527,350 | $ | 24,265 |
______________
(1)Impairment, net includes impairment on crypto assets still held and intangible assets.
(2)Other loss, net includes $25.1 million loss associated with an incident which did not breach our security infrastructure or broader systems, but for which impacted customers were reimbursed, offset by an unrealized gain of $0.9 million related to a contingent consideration arrangement.
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Liquidity and Capital Resources
Since our inception, we have financed our operations primarily with cash from operating activities, and net proceeds from the issuances of convertible preferred stock and notes payable. In September 2021, we issued $2.0 billion in Senior Notes consisting of $1.0 billion of 2028 Senior Notes due on October 1, 2028 and $1.0 billion of 2031 Senior Notes due on October 1, 2031. Interest on the Senior Notes is payable semi-annually in arrears on April 1 and October 1 of each year at 3.375% and 3.625% per annum for the 2028 Senior Notes and 2031 Senior Notes, respectively. The entire principal amount of the Senior Notes is due at the time of maturity, unless repurchased or redeemed on an earlier date. In May 2021, we issued an aggregate of $1.44 billion of 2026 Convertible Notes. The 2026 Convertible Notes are senior unsecured obligations and bear interest at a rate of 0.50% per year payable semi-annually in arrears on June 1 and December 1 of each year, beginning on December 1, 2021. The initial conversion rate and conversion rate as of December 31, 2021 for the 2026 Convertible Notes is 2.6994 shares of our Class A common stock per $1,000 principal amount of 2026 Convertible Notes, which is equivalent to an initial conversion price of approximately $370.45 per share of the Class A common stock. The 2026 Convertible Notes mature on June 1, 2026, unless converted, redeemed or repurchased on an earlier date. See Note 11. Indebtedness, of the notes to the consolidated financial statements in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K for more details on the Senior Notes and 2026 Convertible Notes transactions.
As of December 31, 2021, we had cash and cash equivalents of $7.1 billion, exclusive of restricted cash and customer custodial funds. Cash equivalents consisted primarily of cash deposits and money market funds denominated in U.S. dollars. As of December 31, 2021, we had restricted cash of $31.0 million which consisted primarily of amounts held in restricted bank accounts at certain third-party banks as security deposits or pledged as collateral to secure letters of credit. As of December 31, 2021, we had customer custodial funds of $10.5 billion which consisted of amounts held at certain third-party banks for the exclusive benefit of customers. Crypto asset trading on our platform occurs 24 hours a day. We restrict the use of the assets underlying the customer custodial funds to meet regulatory requirements based on their purpose and availability to fulfill our direct obligation under custodial funds due to customers.
Certain jurisdictions where we operate require us to hold eligible liquid assets, as defined by applicable regulatory requirements and commercial law in these jurisdictions, equal to at least 100% of the aggregate amount of all custodial funds due to customers. Depending on the jurisdiction, eligible liquid assets can include cash and cash equivalents, customer custodial funds, and in-transit funds receivable. As of December 31, 2021 and December 31, 2020, our eligible liquid assets were greater than the aggregate amount of custodial funds due to customers.
As of December 31, 2021, we had $100.1 million of USDC, a stablecoin which can be redeemed one USDC for one U.S. dollar on demand. While not accounted for as cash or cash equivalent, we believe our USDC holdings to be an important liquidity resource.
In August 2021, we announced our plans to invest over $500 million as well as 10% of our quarterly net income into a diversified portfolio of crypto assets. Our investments will be deployed over a multi-quarter window. We continue to execute all trades away from our crypto asset trading platform to avoid any conflict of interest with our customers. We may increase or decrease our allocation over time as the cryptoeconomy matures.
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As of December 31, 2021, we held $566.5 million of crypto assets for investment and operational purposes at cost, excluding crypto assets borrowed. Our future earnings and cash flows will be impacted when we choose to monetize our crypto assets and the variability of our earnings will be dependent on the future fair value of such crypto assets. We have limited ability to predict whether the sale of crypto assets received from airdrops or forks will be material to our future earnings, which is dependent on the future market viability and fair value of such crypto assets. Our current policy is not to monetize unsupported forks or airdrops held on our platform. Crypto assets received through airdrops and forks, at the time of the airdrop or fork and at the end of the periods presented, are not material to our financial statements.
As of December 31, 2021 and December 31, 2020 the cost basis and fair value of our crypto assets held, excluding crypto asset borrowings, was as follows:
| December 31, | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 2020 | |||||||||||||
| Cost(1) | Fair value(2) | Cost(1) | Fair value(2) | |||||||||||
| (in millions) | ||||||||||||||
| Crypto assets held as investments: | ||||||||||||||
| Bitcoin | $ | 87.9 | $ | 265.8 | $ | 13.3 | $ | 100.7 | ||||||
| Ethereum | 46.1 | 167.1 | 3.5 | 22.1 | ||||||||||
| Other crypto assets | 75.4 | 263.1 | 7.6 | 24.9 | ||||||||||
| Total crypto assets held as investments | 209.4 | 696.0 | 24.4 | 147.7 | ||||||||||
| Crypto assets held for operating purposes: | ||||||||||||||
| Bitcoin | 95.5 | 97.9 | 26.1 | 29.4 | ||||||||||
| Ethereum | 58.2 | 75.4 | 1.7 | 1.7 | ||||||||||
| Other crypto assets | 203.4 | 267.5 | 10.1 | 9.1 | ||||||||||
| Total crypto assets held for operating purposes | 357.1 | 440.8 | 37.9 | 40.2 | ||||||||||
| Total crypto assets held, excluding crypto asset borrowings | $ | 566.5 | $ | 1,136.8 | $ | 62.3 | $ | 187.9 | ||||||
| Crypto assets held, excluding crypto asset borrowings: | ||||||||||||||
| Bitcoin | $ | 183.4 | $ | 363.7 | $ | 39.4 | $ | 130.1 | ||||||
| Ethereum | 104.3 | 242.5 | 5.2 | 23.8 | ||||||||||
| Other crypto assets | 278.8 | 530.6 | 17.7 | 34.0 | ||||||||||
| Total crypto assets held, excluding crypto asset borrowings | $ | 566.5 | $ | 1,136.8 | $ | 62.3 | $ | 187.9 |
__________________
(1)Cost amounts shown are net of impairment recognized.
(2)The fair value of crypto assets held is based on quoted market prices for one unit of each crypto asset reported on our platform at 11:59 pm Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) on the last day of the respective period multiplied by the quantity of each crypto asset held.
We view our crypto asset investments as long term holdings and we do not plan to engage in regular trading of crypto assets. During times of instability in the market of crypto assets, we may not be able to sell our crypto assets at reasonable prices or at all. As a result, our crypto assets are less liquid than our existing cash and cash equivalents and may not be able to serve as a source of liquidity for us to the same extent as cash and cash equivalents. Customer accommodations are fulfilled with crypto assets held for operational purposes. We recognized $43.1 million and $0.4 million of impairment expense on our crypto asset investment portfolio for the years ended December 31, 2021 and December 31, 2020, respectively.
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Our cash flow from operating activities may materially fluctuate from period-to-period based on movement within our custodial funds due to customer liability. Since our customer custodial funds are included in cash and cash equivalents, any large fluctuations in the related liability will directly impact our cash flow from operating activities. In the short term, we believe our existing cash and cash equivalents will be sufficient for at least the next 12 months to meet our requirements and plans for cash, including meeting our working capital and capital expenditure requirements. In the long term, our ability to meet our requirements and plans for cash, including meeting our working capital and capital expenditure requirements, will depend on many factors, including market acceptance of crypto assets and blockchain technology, our growth, our ability to attract and retain customers on our platform, the continuing market acceptance of our products and services, the introduction of new subscription products and services on our platform, expansion of sales and marketing activities, and overall economic conditions. We anticipate satisfying our short-term cash requirements with our existing cash and cash equivalents and may satisfy our long-term cash requirements with cash and cash equivalents on hand or with proceeds from a future equity or debt financing.
To the extent that current and anticipated future sources of liquidity are insufficient to fund our future business activities and cash and other requirements, we may be required to seek additional equity or debt financing. The sale of additional equity would result in additional dilution to our stockholders. The incurrence of additional debt financing would result in debt service obligations and the instruments governing such debt could provide for operating and financing covenants that would restrict our operations. In the event that additional financing is required from outside sources, there is a possibility we may not be able to raise it on terms acceptable to us or at all. If we are unable to raise additional capital when desired, our business, operating results, and financial condition could be adversely affected.
Our material cash requirements and contractual obligations arising in the normal course of business primarily consist of operating lease commitments, non-cancelable purchase obligations, long-term debt and related interest payments, and income taxes. With respect to operating lease commitments, which consists of operating leases for corporate offices, the total amount of lease payments due is $114.0 million, with $36.3 million due prior to December 31, 2022. With respect to non-cancelable purchase obligations, which consists of committed spend relating to advertising and technology infrastructure, the total amount due is $269.2 million, with $133.6 million due prior to December 31, 2022. See Notes 6. Leases, 11. Indebtedness and 17. Income Taxes to the consolidated financial statements included in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K for further information pertaining to leases, debt, and income taxes as of December 31, 2021.
Cash flows
The following table shows a summary of our cash flows for the periods presented:
| Year Ended December 31, | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | ||||||||
| (in thousands) | ||||||||||
| Net cash provided by (used in) operating activities | $ | 10,730,031 | $ | 3,004,070 | $ | (80,594) | ||||
| Net cash (used in) provided by investing activities | (1,124,740) | 50,822 | (105,353) | |||||||
| Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities | 3,284,225 | 18,801 | (16,605) | |||||||
| Net increase in cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash | $ | 12,889,516 | $ | 3,073,693 | $ | (202,552) | ||||
| Effect of exchange rates on cash | $ | (64,883) | $ | (2,081) | $ | (170) | ||||
| Change in customer custodial funds | $ | 6,762,841 | $ | 2,562,042 | $ | (94,795) |
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Operating activities
We assess our cash flow from operating activities by adjusting for the change in customer custodial funds. We use this as a more accurate indicator of our cash growth and our ability to invest in our infrastructure and people to achieve our strategic objectives.
Net cash provided by operating activities was $10.7 billion for the year ended December 31, 2021, of which $6.7 billion related to cash from the change in custodial funds due to customers. Our net cash provided by operating activities, other than from custodial funds due to customers, reflected net income of $3.6 billion and non-cash adjustments of $272.6 million, which was driven by benefits from deferred income taxes and realized gains on crypto assets driven by net crypto assets received from operating activities. This was partially offset by stock-based compensation expense, impairment expense and depreciation and amortization expense. In addition to these changes were changes in operating assets and liabilities of $141.4 million.
Net cash provided by operating activities was $3.0 billion for the year ended December 31, 2020, of which $2.7 billion related to cash from the change in custodial funds due to customers. Our net cash provided by operating activities, other than from custodial funds due to customers, reflected net income of $322.3 million, non-cash adjustments of $64.8 million, which primarily consisted of $70.5 million in stock-based compensation, $31.0 million in depreciation and amortization, $25.0 million in non-cash lease expense, and $5.3 million in fair value derivative adjustments. These were partially offset by $54.0 million of net crypto assets received from operating activities and $23.7 million in realized gains on crypto assets which is excluded from operating activities and included in investing activities. In addition to these changes were changes in operating assets and liabilities, other than custodial funds due to customers, of $93.6 million.
Investing activities
Net cash used in investing activities of $1.1 billion for the year ended December 31, 2021 was due to $435.1 million in net outflow for the purchase and sale of crypto assets, $326.5 million for investments in companies and technologies, $211.7 million in net outflow for retail user loans originated and repaid, $70.9 million in net cash paid for acquisitions, $60.8 million related to the asset acquisition of assembled workforce and $22.1 million in capitalized internal-use software development costs.
Net cash provided by investing activities of $50.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2020 primarily related to $46.0 million in net proceeds from the purchase and sale of crypto assets and $33.6 million in net cash and customer custodial funds acquired in the acquisition of Tagomi Holdings, Inc. This was partially offset by investments in companies and technologies of $10.3 million, leasehold and real estate expenditures to support our increased headcount of $9.9 million and capitalized internal-use software development costs of $8.9 million.
Financing activities
Net cash provided by financing activities of $3.3 billion for the year ended December 31, 2021, was due to $2.0 billion of proceeds from the issuance of our Senior Notes, net of issuance costs and $1.4 billion of proceeds from the issuance of our Convertible Senior Notes, net of issuances costs, $217.1 million of proceeds from the issuance of common stock from stock option exercises, net of repurchases, $20.0 million of proceeds from the issuance of a short-term borrowing, and $19.9 million of proceeds received under the employee stock purchase plan. This was partially offset by $262.8 million of taxes paid related to net share settlement of equity awards and the purchase of $90.1 million of capped calls in connection with our Convertible Senior Notes.
Net cash provided by financing activities of $18.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2020 was due to $20.7 million in proceeds from the issuance of common stock, which was partially offset by a $1.9 million cash outflow to repurchase equity awards.
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Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates
Our consolidated financial statements and the related notes included elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K are prepared in accordance with GAAP. The preparation of consolidated financial statements also requires us to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenue, costs, and expenses and related disclosures. We base our estimates on historical experience and on various other assumptions that we believe to be reasonable under the circumstances. Actual results could differ significantly from our estimates. To the extent that there are differences between our estimates and actual results, our future financial statement presentation, financial condition, operating results, and cash flows will be affected.
See Note 2. Significant Accounting Policies, of the notes to the consolidated financial statements in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K for a summary of significant accounting policies and the effect on our financial statements.
Revenue recognition
We primarily generate revenue through transaction fees charged on our platform. We charge a fee at the transaction level. The transaction price, represented by the trading fee, is calculated based on volume and may vary depending on payment type and the value of the transaction. The transaction fee is collected from the customer at the time the transaction is executed. In certain instances, the transaction fee can be collected in crypto assets, with revenue measured based on the amount of crypto assets received and the fair value of the crypto assets at the time of the transaction. For the year ended December 31, 2021, we collected approximately 13% of total revenue in crypto assets. We currently do not have any formal policies requiring conversion of these crypto assets received into fiat currency.
The transaction price includes estimates for reductions in revenue from transaction fee reversals that may not be recovered from customers. Such reversals occur when the customer disputes a transaction processed on their credit card or their bank account for a variety of reasons and seeks to have the charge reversed after we have processed the transaction. These amounts are estimated based upon the most likely amount of consideration to which we will be entitled. All estimates are based on historical experience and our best judgment at the time to the extent it is probable that a significant reversal of revenue previously recognized will not occur. All estimates of variable consideration are reassessed periodically. The total transaction price is allocated to the single performance obligation. While we recognize transaction fee reversals due to transaction reversals as a reduction of net revenue, crypto asset losses due to transaction reversals are included in transaction expense.
Business combinations
We account for our business combinations using the acquisition method of accounting, which requires, among other things, allocation of the fair value of purchase consideration to the tangible and intangible assets acquired and liabilities assumed at their estimated fair values on the acquisition date. When determining the fair value of assets acquired and liabilities assumed, we make significant estimates and assumptions, especially with respect to non-crypto intangible assets. These intangible assets do not have observable prices. We have generally applied a cost approach in estimating the fair values of acquired intangible assets, with the number of working hours required to recreate the intangible asset being a significant input to the estimate. Our estimates of fair value are based upon assumptions believed to be reasonable, but which are inherently uncertain and, as a result, actual results may differ from estimates.
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Stock-based compensation
We estimate the fair value of stock options with only service-based conditions and purchase rights granted under our 2021 Employee Stock Purchase Plan, or the ESPP, on the date of grant using the Black-Scholes-Merton option-pricing model. The model requires management to make a number of estimates and assumptions, including the fair value of our underlying common stock (prior to listing our Class A common stock on the Nasdaq Global Select Market), expected volatility of our underlying common stock, expected term of the stock option, and expected dividend yield. The expected term of the stock option is based on the average period the stock option is expected to remain outstanding based on the stock option’s vesting and contractual terms. The expected stock price volatility assumption for our common stock is determined by using a weighted average of the historical stock price volatilities of comparable companies from a representative peer group, as sufficient trading history for our common stock is not available.
Common stock valuations
Prior to the Direct Listing of our Class A common stock on the Nasdaq Global Select Market, the fair value of our common stock was determined by our board of directors, with input from management, taking into account our most recent valuations from an independent third-party valuation specialist. Our board of directors intended all stock options granted to have an exercise price per share not less than the per share fair value of our common stock on the date of the grant and we believe that our board of directors had the relevant experience and expertise to determine the fair value of our common stock. The valuations of common stock were determined in accordance with the guidance provided by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants Practice Aid, Valuation of Privately-Held-Company Equity Securities Issued as Compensation. If stock options were granted a short period of time prior to the date of a valuation report, we retrospectively assessed the fair value used for financial reporting purposes after considering the fair value reflected in the subsequent valuation report and other facts and circumstances on the date of grant as discussed below. The assumptions we used in the models were based on future expectations combined with management judgment and considered numerous and subjective factors to determine the fair value of our common stock as of the date of each option grant, including the following factors:
•the results of contemporaneous valuations performed at periodic intervals by an independent valuation firm;
•the prices, rights, preferences, and privileges of our convertible preferred stock relative to those of our common stock;
•the prices of our convertible preferred stock and common stock sold to investors in arms-length transactions or offered to investors through a tender offer;
•our actual operating and financial performance and estimated trends and prospects for our future performance;
•our stage of development;
•the likelihood of achieving a liquidity event, such as an initial public offering, direct listing, or sale of our company, given prevailing market conditions;
•the lack of marketability involving securities in a private company;
•the market performance of comparable publicly-traded companies; and
•U.S. and global capital market conditions.
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In valuing our common stock, our board of directors determined the equity value of our business generally using a weighting of the income and market approach valuation methods with input from management. The income approach estimates value based on the expectation of future cash flows that a company will generate. These future cash flows are discounted to their present values using an appropriate discount rate based on a weighted-average cost of capital and are adjusted to reflect the risks inherent in us achieving these estimated cash flows. The market approach estimates value based on a comparison of the subject company to comparable public companies in a similar line of business. From the comparable companies, a representative market value multiple is determined and then applied to the subject company’s financial forecasts to estimate the value of the subject company.
For valuations prior to June 30, 2020, the equity valuation was based on both the income and the market approach valuation methods. Then, the option pricing method, or OPM, was used to allocate equity value to each class of our stock. When we had completed or were expecting to complete a convertible preferred stock financing, the terms and pricing of the financing round were included in the analysis used to estimate our value and the value of our common stock. These methods were consistent with prior valuations.
For valuations as of and subsequent to June 30, 2020, we used a hybrid method utilizing a combination of the option pricing method, or OPM, and the probability-weighted expected return method, or PWERM, in estimating the value of our common stock. Using the PWERM, the value of our common stock was estimated based upon a probability-weighted analysis of varying values for our common stock assuming possible future events for our company, including a scenario of an initial public offering or a direct listing of our common stock on a stock exchange and a scenario assuming continued operation as a private entity. We also applied a discount for lack of marketability to account for a lack of access to an active public market.
Application of these approaches involved the use of estimates, judgment, and assumptions that were highly complex and subjective, such as those regarding our expected future revenue, expenses, and future cash flows, discount rates, market multiples, the selection of comparable companies, and the probability of possible future events. Changes in any or all of these estimates and assumptions or the relationships between those assumptions would have impacted our valuations as of each valuation date and may have had a material impact on the valuation of our common stock.
Our board of directors’ assessments of the fair value of our common stock for grant dates between the dates of an available third-party valuation report were based in part on the current available financial and operational information and the fair market value provided in the most recent available third-party valuation report as compared to the timing of each grant.
Following our Direct Listing, we use the closing price of our Class A common stock as reported on The Nasdaq Global Select Market on the date of grant for the fair value of our common stock, which is used in valuing stock options and RSUs and purchase rights under our ESPP. Future expense amounts for any particular period could be affected by changes in assumptions or market conditions.
Income taxes
We utilize the asset and liability method for computing our income tax provision. Deferred tax assets and liabilities reflect the expected future consequences of temporary differences between the financial reporting and tax bases of assets and liabilities as well as operating loss, capital loss, and tax credit carryforwards, using enacted tax rates. Management makes estimates, assumptions, and judgments to determine our provision for income taxes, deferred tax assets and liabilities, and any valuation allowance recorded against deferred tax assets. We assess the likelihood that our deferred tax assets will be recovered from future taxable income and, to the extent we believe that recovery is not likely, we establish a valuation allowance.
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We recognize the tax benefit from an uncertain tax position only if it is more likely than not the tax position will be sustained on examination by the taxing authorities, based on the technical merits of the position. The tax benefits recognized from such positions are then measured based on the largest benefit that has a greater than 50% likelihood of being realized upon settlement. Interest and penalties related to unrecognized tax benefits are recognized within provision for income taxes.
For U.S. federal tax purposes, crypto asset transactions are treated on the same tax principles as property transactions. We recognize a gain or loss when crypto assets are exchanged for other property, in the amount of the difference between the fair market value of the property received and the tax basis of the exchanged crypto assets. Receipts of crypto assets in exchange for goods or services are included in taxable income at the fair market value on the date of receipt.
Recent Accounting Pronouncements
See Note 2. Significant Accounting Policies, of the notes to the consolidated financial statements in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K for a discussion about new accounting pronouncements adopted and not yet adopted as of the date of this report.
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