Overview
- Coinbase Ventures detailed four priority themes for 2026 in a new blog: real‑world‑asset perpetuals, specialized trading infrastructure, next‑generation DeFi, and AI/robotics.
- The firm highlights RWA perpetual futures as a way to deliver synthetic on‑chain exposure to off‑chain assets without custody of the underlying, positioning for broader macro instruments.
- An associate, Kinji Steimetz, pointed to rising trader demand for on‑chain macro exposure, including oil, inflation breakevens, credit spreads, and volatility.
- Supporting data cited includes RWA.xyz figures showing on‑chain RWA value rising from about $13.8 billion to roughly $36 billion in 2025, alongside growth in asset holders.
- Market‑structure context includes Messari’s view that proprietary AMMs captured 13%–24% of Solana DEX volume through 2025 and surpassed traditional AMMs in September, while separate reports and screenshots suggest Coinbase is exploring prediction‑market interfaces and a reported Vector acquisition remains unconfirmed.