Coinbase’s Bold Move: Will the Base Token Revolutionize Crypto or Just Serve Shareholders?

Base Token Speculation Erupts— Everything You Need to Know

Jesse Pollak, who leads the Base team at Coinbase (Base is a technology built on top of Ethereum), has asked the cryptocurrency community for their thoughts on whether or not Base should create its own token.

This announcement follows Coinbase’s recent efforts to fully support all tokens created on the Base network, which began just two months ago.

The Base Token Question: Rewarding Users or Protecting Shareholders?

This discussion happens as Coinbase evolves into a platform aiming to trade all kinds of digital assets. As reported by BeInCrypto in August, Coinbase intends to allow direct trading of every token on its Base network – even newer, riskier coins like meme coins – which means it’s simplifying the process of getting assets listed.

This connection could make it easier for many projects built on blockchains to access funding, and introduce over 100 million people to new and promising digital tokens.

With all of this happening, Jesse Pollak is asking for thoughts, suggestions, and what people hope to see if the company decides to create a token on the Base blockchain.

We wanted to be transparent and get your feedback, and I’ve been amazed by how much we’ve received in just the past two weeks, he said.

The announcement sparked a lot of ideas from developers, investors, and the community. Some people proposed rewarding those who build and actively use the platform, while others suggested launching in 2025 to take advantage of strong market conditions and avoid the appearance of a short-term, manipulative price increase.

As I see it, the proposal focused on rewarding those who’ve consistently contributed to the project. It aimed to create a level playing field for both large institutions and individual investors, and interestingly, even suggested developing a mascot to build a strong and recognizable brand for the token.

Base chain users shared many ideas with the company’s leader, and these were just two examples. However, Pollak was quick to dismiss rumors of a launch happening soon.

Thanks for your thoughts! Just to give you an update, we won’t be launching this in 2025. We’ve only just begun looking into it, and we want to make sure we get it right. We’re sharing our progress early so you can all be a part of the process.

— jesse.base.eth (@jessepollak) October 2, 2025

Despite previous practices, the Base team is taking a new approach to token design. Instead of a typical, secretive launch, they’re now focusing on building with the community’s input.

Despite the current positive outlook, a significant issue remains. What are the implications when a publicly traded company, such as Coinbase, creates its own blockchain-based token?

The Shareholder Dilemma Behind the Base Token

According to a Messari research manager, the Base token is set to bring a new and innovative approach to how crypto tokens are created, leveraging advanced game theory.

This is the first instance of a public company launching its own token. Usually, token generation events (TGEs) and airdrops primarily benefit early investors and the team behind the project. However, with Base, the focus is different – the company aims to increase value for its shareholders, according to AJC.

AJC believes Coinbase shareholders won’t give up their token rights unless they benefit somehow. This means any plan for distributing tokens needs to ultimately increase the overall value of Coinbase as a company.

He explained that the difficult part is creating an airdrop system that fairly rewards users while also benefiting the company’s investors. The goal is to encourage valuable, long-term activities – like using apps, supporting creators, and engaging in social features – instead of just focusing on short-term gains in areas like trading activity or the amount of money locked into the system.

The introduction of the Base token could spark a surge of interest in meme coins, but it also has the potential to become a significant step towards finding and utilizing tokens directly on the blockchain. Whether this happens depends on how the token is designed and who benefits from it.

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2025-10-08 10:24