The world is at crossroads, with debt growing exponentially, inflation crippling nations, and economic freedom declining. Amidst this uncertainty, the CEO of Coinbase, Brian Armstrong, is sounding an alarm that crypto can be a game-changer.
Since Trump became President, markets have been unstable because of fears over the US Fed debt, inflation, and the added tariff menace. POTUS and the Fed’s chairman have been back and forth about the economy. Other than the US, other nations like Russia have reported slower economies and are also trying to fight inflation.
It's no coincidence Bitcoin prices are at all-time highs. People are turning to Bitcoin as a refuge from inflation and deficit spending.
It will ultimately be a check and balance on this activity. If this continues, Bitcoin could become the next world reserve currency. pic.twitter.com/Gr0hJDrWaN
— Brian Armstrong (@brian_armstrong) June 20, 2025
Amidst all this, the crypto industry has thrived in most parts. In fact, the biggest coin, Bitcoin, has managed to maintain the 100k price for more than 40 days. Armstrong said, “it’s no coincidence Bitcoin prices are at all-time highs. People are turning to Bitcoin as a refuge from inflation and deficit spending. […] The world needs crypto, now more than ever. “
BTC will soon grow to be the reserve currency – Armstrong
According to Armstrong, the crypto industry is functioning in a way that, while Bitcoin is a store of value, stablecoins are the medium of exchange. He believes that holistic crypto adoption will take 10 to 15 years.
Stablecoin legislation is navigating its way through the government. And Circle’s (CRCL) IPO was met with resounding enthusiasm. Armstrong said, “The stablecoin market cap is up 50%+ year-over-year, uncorrelated with crypto trading volume. […] This is crypto’s next daily use case, and it’s just the beginning.”
On the other hand, the Trump administration has moved to create a Bitcoin strategic reserve, though its framework remains to be determined.
US companies such as GameStop (GME) and Strategy (MSTR) have been big buyers of Bitcoin to diversify their cash holdings. Trump Media & Technology (DJT) recently announced a plan to raise $2.5 billion to buy bitcoin.
Armstrong also said that he wants the US to remain in the reserve currency status. However, if the debt situation doesn’t get fixed eventually, Bitcoin will have to become the reserve currency for better or worse.
He said that the Chinese RMB has no chance of becoming the reserve currency because they have their own debt problems. According to Statista, China’s total national debt is estimated at around $14.83 trillion in 2023.
Coinbase strategies dedicated to Crypto
Coinbase’s CEO said that they are focused on driving crypto adoption and growing the total addressable market. Their first strategy was directed towards Bitcoin, listing more assets, and now seeing real-world asset tokenization. Last year, RWA tokenization was up over 200x, with $20 billion now on-chain.
He said that Coinbase is partnering with companies like Shopify to bring crypto payments to millions of merchants, further expanding the use of crypto in everyday transactions. Coinbase has created a Credit Card, powered by American Express, with up to 4% cashback paid in BTC.
He added, “We’re not just putting a new UI on old rails. We’re building a new financial system from the ground up: new rails, new money, and new services like Bitcoin-backed loans using DeFi and stablecoin payments.”
In addition, he said that the company is building a platform for the next generation of internet applications. According to him, the future of internet applications will be built on-chain. This allows value to flow directly to creators without intermediaries and platforms capturing most of the value.
Meanwhile, the company’s first-quarter sales fell 24% from the prior year amid a slowdown in trading activity. Worthington rates Coinbase shares as Neutral with a $215 price target, suggesting 16% downside from current levels.
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