Coinbase Trading Volume Increases in January While Other Exchanges See Declines: JP Morgan

Trading volume on Coinbase picked up in the early weeks of 2023, while other exchanges saw continuing declines, analysts at J.P. Morgan found, a sign that Coinbase’s reputation as a trustworthy exchange is paying off after the collapse of rival exchange FTX.

The U.S.-based crypto exchange saw a small but noteworthy increase in average daily volume (ADV) of $1.6 billion so far in January, which is a 0.3% increase from the previous quarter. By comparison, other U.S. exchanges such as Kraken and Gemini saw declines of 13% and 46% respectively, according to JPM data.

Coinbase’s slight uptick in trading volume also signals change in direction given that the exchange saw an ongoing decline in volume in 2022.

“We think Coinbase has been cultivating a reputation as a reputable, trusted intermediary for some time,” analysts at J.P. Morgan wrote. “We think that reputation is helping to drive greater market share as activity levels rebound.”

Competitors of Coinbase, including Binance and Gemini, are grappling with the ripple effects of FTX’s collapse, which has triggered increased scrutiny over unregulated exchanges in the industry, making Coinbase one of the few options for investors to trade crypto without significant risks of fraud.

“Unlike a number of Coinbase’s high profile peers, Coinbase did not have direct exposure to FTX and was insulated from the direct legal and reputational fallout from its demise,” JPM wrote.

Read more: Coinbase Could Be One of Crypto's Long-Term Survivors