Coinbase’s App Could Add Self-Custody, CEO Brian Armstrong Reveals

CEO Armstrong said the rollout would require a "major architectural lift" due to deep technical dependencies.

CEO of cryptocurrency platform Coinbase Brian Armstrong attends a reception at Buckingham Palace to mark the conclusion of the Global Investment Summit on November 27, 2023 in London, England. (Photo by Daniel Leal - WPA Pool/Getty Images)

Anushka Basu·Stocktwits

Published Feb 18, 2026 | 10:07 AM EST

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Coinbase (COIN) may introduce a self-custodial onboarding flow to its main consumer app, expanding user access to on-chain features beyond its existing Base App

CEO Brian Armstrong said on Wednesday that Coinbase “might make a self-custodial onboarding flow for the main Coinbase app also.” Users can choose between managed custody and self-custody within the same app experience. This could be a strategic shift for Coinbase as it prepares for wider adoption of DeFi.

Screenshot 2026-02-18 at 9.20.20 AM.png — Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong says self-custody could be introduced to app. Source: @brian_armstrong/x

Armstrong said the rollout would require a "major architectural lift" due to deep technical dependencies. He also said that Coinbase chose shipping self-custody through the Base App first to move faster on a new foundation.

“But if it works in Base App, we may invest in the main Coinbase app as well. Self-custody has many benefits,” stated Armstrong.

Coinbase (COIN) was trading 0.98% higher on Wednesday. On Stocktwits, retail sentiment around COIN remained in ‘extremely bullish’ territory, as chatter around the crypto stock remained in ‘extremely high’ levels over the past day.

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