Coinbase Institute


Demystifying key topics in the evolving crypto landscape through rigorous research and analysis.

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March 19, 2024

Expanding Access with Decentralized Physical Infrastructure Networks

Decentralized Physical Infrastructure Networks (DePINs) have the potential to provide greater access to services like internet connectivity, energy and transportation. Leveraging blockchain and digital assets, DePINs offer a new model for developing physical infrastructure that can be more accessible, affordable, and secure.

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February 29, 2024

Equipping Local Governments with Digital Assets and Blockchain

As cities and states grapple with the challenges of the 21st century, digital assets and blockchain offer innovative solutions. From streamlining benefits programs to simplifying title transfers and tax collection, these technologies can transform the way local governments work every day.

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January 24, 2024

Empowering small businesses with digital assets and blockchain

Small businesses are leveraging the revolutionary potential of digital asset and blockchain technologies to address their distinct challenges. A new primer by the Coinbase Institute explores how these technologies can make everyday business processes more accessible, automated, and secure.

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November 6, 2023

Why Crypto? Use case deep-dives

Crypto is global, decentralized, and open. These features give it tremendous potential to improve transparency, efficiency, and privacy across countless industries and services.

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October 31, 2023

Blockchain and Artificial Intelligence (AI): Complementary Technologies That Can Make Each Other Better

The digital revolution created access to vast amounts of data. AI holds promise to make efficient use of this information, while blockchain can protect against some of the key risks and concerns around privacy, interoperability, standardization, and protection.

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August 22, 2023

Primer on Tax and DeFi

Decentralized Finance, or “DeFi,” offers an innovative way of conducting finance peer to peer. But these innovations make it difficult to tax DeFi transactions. The use of an optional “tax identity” attestation token that facilitates collection of a transaction tax is one potential solution.

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July 19, 2023

Primer: Decentralized Social Media

Decentralized social media offers a new model of social networking that embraces the web3 vision of a user-owned internet. By leveraging crypto and blockchain technology, these networks have the potential to increase privacy, freedom of expression, and user autonomy on-chain.

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April 25, 2023

Primer on Decentralized Apps

Decentralized apps offer financial services, games, art, and more, but most are built on blockchains, use open-source code, and are controlled by smart contracts—not big tech. By empowering and rewarding users, dapps can spur innovation in web3.

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April 21, 2023

Defending American Leadership: The National Security Case for Crypto and Blockchain

With countries around the world embracing crypto and blockchain technology, the U.S. stands at a critical juncture. In this white paper, the Coinbase Institute explores how the U.S. commitment to fostering technological innovation has powered its global leadership over the past century, and why it is crucial that the U.S. take the same approach with crypto.

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April 5, 2023

Decentralized Identity

Decentralized identity can bring more privacy, control, and security to online identities. This primer discusses the tangible benefits it can offer to individuals and institutions alike.

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January 19, 2023

Crypto Innovation is Essential to Curtailing Illicit Finance

The Coinbase Institute explores the use of digital asset technology to track and combat illicit finance, and advocates for increased public-private collaboration to facilitate its use.

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January 9, 2023

National Security in the Age of Digital Innovation: The Critical Role of Crypto

Coinbase Chief Policy Officer Faryar Shirzad explains why adopting a strong policy toward crypto and Web3 is an essential component of every country's national security strategy.

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December 23, 2022

Tornado Cash, OFAC and a Whirlwind of Confusion

Crypto privacy protocols and tools have become an essential part of the ecosystem. The Coinbase Institute breaks down what Tornado Cash is and is not – and explains why regulators, policymakers and law enforcement should take a measured approach.

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July 28, 2022

Stablecoins White Paper

This white paper explains what stablecoins are and how stablecoin arrangements work.

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June 30, 2022

Crypto & Remittances

This primer explains how crypto transfers can disrupt traditional remittance methods.

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May 18, 2022

Crypto and the Climate

This primer assesses the current state of crypto and the climate.

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February 28, 2022

Whitepaper: DeFi and Tax Reporting & Withholding

Coinbase recommends the use of identity tokens and some form of transaction tax to overcome current challenges in applying tax to DeFi transactions.

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February 28, 2022

Whitepaper: NFTs and Indirect Taxes

Coinbase advocates for the creation of identity tokens and enhanced smart contracts to enable effective collection and remittance of taxes for NFT transactions on decentralized platforms.

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December 31, 2021

Whitepaper: US Taxation of Cryptocurrencies

Coinbase calls for a digital asset task force consisting of Treasury, IRS, and external industry experts to clarify the application of U.S. tax law to cryptocurrencies.

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October 14, 2021

Coinbase’s Digital Asset Policy Proposal (dApp)

Our proposal for how the United States should regulate digital assets.