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NewProducts
Embed custom digital wallets
directly into your app
a more fair and free place and human progress would ac-
celerate." A copy of the entire letter is available at: www.sec.
gov/Archives/edgar/data/1679788/000162828021003168/coin-
baseglobalincs-1.htm
Popular wallet styles
Coinbase supports an array of crypto wallets, the company
oinbase launched Wallet-as-a-Service (WaaS) in stated, citing these popular styles:
March 2023, a set of developer tools designed to
drive broad cryptocurrency adoption by mak- • Hosted wallets: Cryptocurrencies held by a third par-
C ing it easier for companies to embed customized ty eliminates worry about losing keys or hardware.
digital wallets directly into their applications. The solution However, hosted wallets do not always provide all the
also complements its Base solution for Web3 applications, features and functionality of self-custody wallets.
the company stated. • Self-custody wallets: The ability to directly access
funds without relying on a third party service pro-
Brian Armstrong, CEO at Coinbase, mentioned he has vider is considered a plus but individuals also bear re-
seen major brands, including Starbucks, Nike and Coca sponsibility for remembering and safeguarding their
Cola, become more receptive to Web3 applications, which cryptocurrencies.
rely on digital wallets. Unlike traditional digital wallets
that hold users responsible for securely storing wallet • Hardware wallets: A physical device that's approxi-
keys, WaaS uses multiparty computation (MPC), a form of mately the size of a thumb drive is a secure way to
cryptography that shares a private wallet key with multiple store cryptocurrencies and can protect crypto even
parties, eliminating the self-custody wallet's single point of when a computer is hacked. However, these form fac-
failure, he noted. tors require more steps to set up and use and can be
expensive.
The Coinbase SDK provides backup functionality to help
users maintain access to digital assets, Armstrong said, Coinbase representatives noted that there are many ways to
pointing out that Floor, Moonray, thirdweb, tokenproof store cryptocurrencies and that some customers use more
and other Web3 companies are using Coinbase's WaaS than one type of wallet to take advantage of features and
infrastructure. benefits. For example, non-custodial wallets give users full
Safe, trusted, easy-to-use platform control of their funds and hardware wallets provide an ex-
tra layer of protection.
In a cover letter submitted with Coinbase prospectus to the WaaS and Web3
Security and Exchange Commission, in May 2020, Arm-
strong stated that Coinbase is building a supporting infra- WaaS provides individuals, developers and enterprises
structure to power the crypto economy and share this new with the full capabilities of Web3 without sacrificing
technology with the world. While Coinbase partners and simplicity, Coinbase representatives noted, adding that
customers think of the company's platform as a safe, easy users can create, access and restore their digital wallets
way to buy, sell, store, save, spend and use cryptocurrency, using simple authentication, comparable to username and
he noted numerous customers use Coinbase as a primary password. In addition, users fully control their assets and
financial account. can export keys off the platform at any time.
"Coinbase is building a portfolio of different products and Developers can use Coinbase APIs to build native wallet
services that connect to this primary financial account, and capabilities directly into their apps, the company added,
we're enabling third-party products and services to be con- to create on-chain wallets, enable Web3 interactions and
nected as well," he wrote, adding that the company's ulti- personalize customer journeys.
mate aim is to create economic freedom. "The current finan-
cial system is rife with high fees, delays, unequal access, and Company: Coinbase
barriers to innovation," he wrote. "In many countries, citi-
zens don't have access to sound money, a functioning credit Product: Wallet-as-a-Service
system, or even basic property rights. If the world economy Website: https://coinbase.com
ran on a common set of standards, that could not be ma-
nipulated by any company or country, the world would be Contact: support@coinbase.com
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