Coinbase has just announced an in-app DEX trading feature, a long-awaited capability to make decentralized trading more accessible. Blockchain Base will temporarily manage this service, causing some of its tokens to increase in value.
Due to BitLicense requirements, this implementation only affects US users outside of New York. Traders can now access decentralized markets with significantly lower costs and entry barriers.
Coinbase's DEX Features
Coinbase, one of the world's largest cryptocurrency exchanges, has been exploring enhanced DEX integration in recent months. At the Crypto Summit 2025 in June, the platform revealed upcoming features in the coming months.
Today, CEO Brian Armstrong announced that this new feature is finally available:
Blockchain Base will support Coinbase's new DEX function, with Solana integration currently being deployed. This feature will simplify DEX access for most US consumers, allowing traders to trade tokens using an integrated self-managed wallet.
Coinbase will even cover the necessary network fees, making the process much easier.
However, this DEX integration is blocked in New York, due to regulations that have repeatedly affected Coinbase. Local residents are dissatisfied with this delay but currently cannot do anything about it.
Impact on Market and Community
Largely, the community has shown significant support. Aerodome Finance, the largest DEX on Base, increased in value after Coinbase's announcement. Some other Base tokens also recorded substantial increases.
Aerodome Finance's price performance. Source: CoinGeckoHowever, this implementation is not perfect. Some users have criticized Coinbase for allowing DEX trading of tokens they would not directly list. Coinbase's CEX users still cannot trade VIRTUALS, but this new function will allow tokens created using this protocol.
Moreover, this update goes against the entire spirit of decentralization. Coinbase is not actually building a DEX; everything from the user interface to the underlying blockchain is highly centralized. This integration may contribute to growing concerns about "decentralization" in cryptocurrency, as large institutions increasingly dominate the market.
Nevertheless, this is an important milestone for Coinbase and US traders. Accessibility has been a major issue for those wanting to trade on DEX. The complexity, wallet connections, and multiple steps just to buy and trade coins have been a significant headache. But now, everything is available through a single platform, the Coinbase app.
