A High-Stakes Bet on the Future: How Robinhood and Coinbase Are Competing for a $160 Billion Financial Landscape
The two leading financial apps in the U.S. are conducting completely opposite experiments on millions of users.
Robinhood and Coinbase represent two distinctly different bets on what people want from money applications. Robinhood ranks 14th in the financial category of the App Store, while Coinbase ranks 20th, with both having a market cap of around $80 billion.
Both are chasing the same young investors, both believe the other is doing it wrong.
A bet on people wanting finance to operate like other apps on their phones: simple, intuitive, and invisible. Coinbase has built the infrastructure for the transition from traditional finance to blockchain-based systems.
Easy-to-Understand Blockchain Daily Report: Ethereum PoS new staking demand has continuously decreased to 22,000 coins, while the exit queue has risen to 479,300 coins.
1. Ethereum PoS new staking demand has continuously decreased to 22,000 coins, while the exit queue has risen to 479,300 coins;
2. Federal Reserve Governor Bowman: supports three interest rate cuts this year, ignoring temporarily high inflation is appropriate;
3. Bo Hines, Executive Director of the White House Crypto Council, is set to step down;
4. Stability DAO: funds have been affected by the CrediX attack incident, currently drafting a report in hopes of recovering the funds;
5. NFT trading volume has decreased by 11% over the past 7 days to $134.9 million, with both the number of buyers and sellers dropping by about 90%;
6. Arthur Hayes: Had to buy everything back, I swear I will never just take profits again;
7. USDe's market cap has surpassed $10 billion for the first time, while ENA has risen over 186% during the same period;
A war is quietly unfolding in your pocket, and most people don't even notice.
The two major financial apps in the US—Robinhood and Coinbase—are conducting starkly contrasting experiments on millions of users. Robinhood ranks 14th in the App Store's finance category, while Coinbase ranks 20th, with both having a market capitalization of around $80 billion. They both target young investors but believe the other's approach is entirely wrong.
Both experiments have succeeded to some extent.
The essence of Robinhood vs. Coinbase
These two companies are not traditional competitors; they are conducting different experiments on the same subject (us).
Wall Street Bull Tom Lee: Ethereum is Repeating Bitcoin's Pre-Surge Moment
From Wall Street 'calculators' to the creator of Ethereum micro-strategy, Tom Lee's Bitmine has held 833,000 Ethereum in less than a month since its establishment, accounting for nearly 1% of the total supply, becoming the world's largest publicly listed Ethereum treasury company.
Bitmine's goal is to match MicroStrategy, holding 5% of the total supply of Ethereum.
How does this Wall Street Ethereum bull view Ethereum, and why does he think Ethereum is currently replicating Bitcoin's pre-surge moment in 2017?
This interview elaborates on these issues in detail, and the following is the dialogue content, compiled by the colloquial blockchain.
Plain Language Blockchain Morning Report: Bitwise CIO states that asset class returns show ETH combined with tech stocks and BTC combined with gold perform the best
1. Bitwise CIO: The asset class returns show that ETH combined with tech stocks and BTC combined with gold perform the best;
2. Trump will sign an executive order allowing 401(K) investments in cryptocurrencies and other alternative assets;
3. LD Capital founder: Holding, waiting, and adding positions on dips is the best strategy, and ETH reaching 10,000 seems to have become a consensus;
4. Trump nominates Stephen Miran, a pro-crypto figure, for a seat on the Federal Reserve Board;
5. Insider trader qwatio shorted ETH with $475,000, going bankrupt after earning $29 million from $3 million in six months;
6. Uniswap's number of trades this year exceeded 719 million, setting a new annual trading volume record;
Plain Language Blockchain Daily Report: Standard Chartered Bank states that the Ethereum treasury company is now 'very worthwhile to invest in', superior to the US spot Ethereum ETF
1. Standard Chartered Bank: The Ethereum treasury company is now 'very worthwhile to invest in', superior to the US spot Ethereum ETF
2. Today's Fear and Greed Index rises to 62, shifting from neutral to greedy
3. Today's CME 'Fed Watch' data: The probability of the Federal Reserve cutting interest rates in September is 93.6%
4. Data: Ethereum's on-chain transaction volume in July reached $238 billion, the highest since December 2021
5. Thomas Lee: Today's ETH is like Bitcoin in 2017, and some will regret not betting at this moment
6. Vitalik: Ethereum will eventually achieve instant transfer of native assets across L2 through L1
Grayscale Research: Institutional Inflows, Regulatory Clarity, and the Multiple Benefits Behind Ethereum's Strong Rise
In July 2025, the price of ETH on the Ethereum network surged nearly 50%. Investors are focusing on stablecoins, asset tokenization, and institutional adoption — these are the core advantages that distinguish Ethereum as the oldest smart contract platform from its competitors.
The passage of the (GENIUS Act) marks a milestone moment for stablecoins and the entire crypto asset class. While it may still take time for market structure-related legislation to pass through Congress, U.S. regulators can continue to support the development of the digital asset industry through other policy adjustments, such as approving staking features in crypto investment products.
Plain Language Blockchain Daily Report: Forbes predicts that the upcoming months will usher in the IPO season for crypto stocks, with expectations that funds will flow into native crypto projects rather than stifling altcoin season.
1.Forbes: The upcoming months will usher in the IPO season for crypto stocks, with expectations that funds will flow into native crypto projects rather than stifling altcoin season;
2.Coinbase and PayPal insist on issuing stablecoin rewards in response to regulatory controversies (GENIUS Act);
3.The U.S. SEC releases temporary accounting guidance for stablecoins;
4.The probability of a rate cut by the U.S. Federal Reserve in September skyrockets to 94.4%;
5.WSJ: The White House is preparing to issue an executive order to penalize banks that discriminate against crypto companies;
6.Solana Mobile's second phone, Seeker, begins shipping;
7.Phantom acquires the Solana-based meme coin trading platform Solsniper;
8.CZ: A global competition in crypto is expected to arrive soon, and countries that delay adoption will be forced to buy at higher prices;
How a $2 million investment can turn into $40 million.
Compiled by: Blockchain in Plain Language.
The past secret club: Bitcoin's golden age has ended.
If you remember, holding Bitcoin was like joining a secret club. But those days are long gone.
In the past 11 months, a significant event has occurred. The White House has accepted Bitcoin, Wall Street has poured in $150 billion, and countries are beginning to build strategic reserves. Bitcoin has just reached its 'critical point', like a nuclear reactor that cannot be turned off once started.
This revolution has lasted for 11 months and changed the world.
Imagine: In July 2024, the mainstream financial world sees Bitcoin as just a '6.5 million dollar experiment', considering it digital radioactive waste.
Plain Language Blockchain Daily Report: Coinbase's “SocialFi” triggers a Zora frenzy, with daily token issuance on the Base chain surpassing Solana
1.Coinbase's “SocialFi” triggers a Zora frenzy, with daily token issuance on the Base chain surpassing Solana;
2.Michael Saylor: In the short term, Bitcoin is a trading asset, but in the long term, it is a treasury asset;
3.Insiders: JD.com and Ant Group may struggle to appear on the first batch of Hong Kong stablecoin license list;
4.Ripple: Banks have invested over $100 billion in blockchain infrastructure since 2020;
5.Last week, the cumulative net inflow of the U.S. Ethereum spot ETF was $154.3 million, while the cumulative net outflow of the Bitcoin spot ETF was $642.9 million;
6.This week's unlock data overview: ENA, IMX, MOVE, and others will see a significant one-time token unlock;
Plain Language Blockchain Morning Report: The cryptocurrency market continues to decline, with Bitcoin briefly dropping below $112,000 and Ethereum falling to $3,360 this morning.
1. This morning, the cryptocurrency market continued to decline, with Bitcoin briefly dropping below $112,000 and Ethereum falling to $3,360;
2. Sharplink Gaming has increased its holdings by 15,822 ETH, bringing its strategic reserve to 480,000;
3. In the past 7 days, there has been a net outflow of 641,600 Ethereum from CEX;
4. ETH/BTC briefly dropped to 0.03042, falling over 2% in 24 hours;
5. Tether issued a total of 6 billion USDT in July, with a total circulation increase of $20 billion since the beginning of the year;
6. The number of daily active Ethereum addresses once exceeded 840,000, reaching a one-year high;
7. Hong Kong Monetary Authority: Be cautious of fake stablecoin licensing scams; holding unregulated stablecoins carries risks;
Chairman of the SEC: The Crypto Project is about to take off, helping America become the 'global crypto capital'
Good afternoon, everyone. Thank you, Norm, for the warm introduction, and thank you for inviting me to attend. I am very pleased to gather with all of you, especially at what I consider a key moment for America to demonstrate leadership in the crypto asset market. Before sharing some thoughts, I want to thank the America First Policy Institute for convening this timely discussion. Furthermore, to reassure the compliance team, I must state that the views I express today are solely my own and do not necessarily reflect the views of the SEC or other commissioners.
Today, I want to talk about what I and Commissioner Hester Peirce call the 'Crypto Project,' which will serve as the North Star for the SEC in assisting President Trump in his historic effort to make America the 'global crypto capital.' But before discussing our plans regarding the dominance of the crypto market, I want to reflect on some turning points in the history of capital market development, as they are quite similar to the juncture we are at now, and the future we shape should live up to the legacy we inherit.