Coinbase has confirmed an expanded focus on Solana, aiming to boost its infrastructure with substantial technical upgrades.
According to CEO Brian Armstrong, the platform has introduced key upgrades to infrastructure, including block processing that is now five times faster and Remote Procedure Call (RPC) performance improved fourfold.
The platform has introduced AgentKit and x402, an open protocol for internet-native payments, as part of its latest toolkit. These are designed to improve how on-chain data is handled and to help developers scale operations on Solana.
The updates are part of Coinbase’s wider shift towards integrating deeper with Solana’s ecosystem, offering users faster access and stronger support for Solana-based assets.
Armstrong stated that the company’s broader direction is to build what he calls the “everything exchange.” The plan is to give users the ability to trade, stake, borrow, and earn within one platform by combining traditional exchange services with on-chain tools built for blockchains like Solana.
Coinbase has entered into an agreement to acquire Vector.fun, a Solana-based trading platform known for its speed in detecting and integrating new assets. This move is expected to plug Vector’s tools into Coinbase’s main platform. It will allow Coinbase to tap into fast-moving on-chain markets by offering early access to emerging tokens.
Vector’s tools are expected to help address the liquidity challenges often seen in Solana’s token market. By using Vector’s technology, Coinbase will be able to detect new tokens quickly and offer them for trading sooner than before. This helps users looking for faster exposure to growing asset classes, including meme coins and social tokens.
Coinbase plans to bring in the team behind Vector to work directly within its product teams. The aim is to fold in their on-chain experience to help speed up the development of consumer tools that interact with Solana’s blockchain. This includes expanding the support for assets that are native to Solana while maintaining performance and liquidity standards.
Solana has already seen over one trillion dollars in decentralized exchange volume this year. This surge in activity presents Coinbase with a chance to capture part of that volume by providing tools tailored for the Solana network. Faster transaction times and lower costs are two of the main benefits Coinbase expects to offer by integrating Solana-native support directly into its app.
Coinbase is actively hiring and absorbing Solana developers who have worked on user-facing DeFi products. The company’s blog updates state that the purpose is to simplify technical processes such as staking and borrowing, so they become accessible to users without blockchain expertise. The goal is to streamline these into regular trading experiences.
Coinbase’s deeper move into Solana has drawn criticism from other parts of the blockchain sector. Polygon CEO Marc Boiron questioned the exchange’s choice to back Solana while also operating its own Base chain, which runs on Ethereum. His comments reflect an ongoing rivalry between Ethereum-linked platforms and Solana’s growing presence.
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