In 2017, crypto startups raised greater than $20 billion by way of a frenzy of Preliminary Coin Choices.
It was the age of the ICO increase.
I keep in mind simply how wild it was, much like the tip of the dotcom increase. Buyers had been shopping for digital tokens tied to concepts that hardly existed, whereas startups with nothing however a whitepaper had been elevating thousands and thousands in a single day.
But, for a quick interval, it appeared just like the web had discovered a method to change Wall Avenue.
Then the bubble burst.
By 2018, almost half of all ICOs had failed.
Picture: tokendata.io
Billions in investor capital had evaporated, and regulators all around the world began cracking down laborious on crypto.
That would’ve been the tip of the experiment. However final week, Coinbase determined to resurrect it…
And possibly repair what went improper.
The ICO Is Again
On November 10, Coinbase introduced a brand new platform that lets customers purchase crypto tokens earlier than they listing on the change.
The corporate calls it: “a extra sustainable and clear manner for initiatives to distribute tokens.”
In different phrases, we’re shifting into ICO 2.0. However this time there will likely be extra guidelines.
After all, platforms like Pump.enjoyable have already been working on this territory for some time, however in a much less formal and extra dangerous manner. Constructed on Solana, Pump.enjoyable lets anybody spin up a brand new token in minutes and begin buying and selling it nearly instantly.
And the outcomes have been staggering. As of mid-2025, the platform had spawned greater than 11.9 million tokens and generated over $780 million in income.
However most of those tokens by no means made it previous the primary day.
That’s as a result of Pump.enjoyable is constructed for pace, not endurance. Anybody can launch a token, with little vetting or accountability.
And most do it for the hype. The tokens generated on Pump.enjoyable are usually memecoins, though the platform has just lately pivoted in direction of launching extra utility tokens.
Coinbase is approaching its ICO platform otherwise. If Pump.enjoyable is the on line casino of the crypto world, Coinbase needs to be the inventory change.
Based on the corporate, It plans to host one public token sale per thirty days as this system scales.
First up is Monad Labs, a brand new Layer 1 blockchain aiming to rival Solana’s transaction speeds. Monad will promote 7.5 billion MON tokens (7.5% of its provide) at $0.025 every, elevating about $187 million if totally subscribed. The sale will open on November 17 and run till November 22.
Patrons can make investments as little as $100 or as a lot as $100,000, however they have to use USD Coin (USDC). That’s the stablecoin backed one-to-one by U.S. {dollars} we’ve been speaking about loads just lately.
When the sale closes, Coinbase will use an algorithmic allocation mannequin that favors smaller traders. The corporate calls it “fill from the underside.”
And to me, that’s what makes this new platform so thrilling. It offers on a regular basis traders a good shot at getting in early, with out being crowded out by larger gamers.
Every venture should additionally submit tokenomics disclosures and settle for a six-month lockup earlier than group members can promote their very own tokens.
This new platform represents a serious shift for the corporate. However why is it taking place now?
As a result of the crypto business is ravenous for brand new funding fashions.
International token fundraising peaked at almost $20 billion in 2018, then collapsed to below $1 billion by 2020. And it has by no means totally recovered.
Enterprise capital has crammed the hole — in 2024, VC corporations invested about $11.5 billion into crypto and blockchain startups — however a lot of that cash nonetheless flows to a handful of elite initiatives.
In the meantime, retail traders have been shut out.
However Coinbase is betting {that a} structured, clear platform can change that.
It’s additionally a wise manner for the corporate to evolve its enterprise. Buying and selling volumes on Coinbase are down roughly 40% since 2021, and buying and selling charges throughout the business preserve shrinking as rivals like Binance and Kraken slash prices to compete.
So Coinbase is shifting into the identical profitable territory that funding banks occupy in conventional markets…
Origination.
By internet hosting token gross sales, Coinbase turns into each the underwriter and the change, taking charges from issuers whereas locking customers deeper into its ecosystem.
It’s the digital equal of Nasdaq and Goldman Sachs rolled into one. And it’s a transfer that matches completely into Coinbase’s broader technique.
Earlier this 12 months, the corporate launched x402, an web fee protocol that lets one piece of software program pay one other utilizing USDC.
Now it’s including one other layer with the power for software program to lift capital immediately from customers.
That is what I imply after I discuss creating a real web capital market — a worldwide system the place anybody can fund innovation with out banks or borders.
In sensible phrases, it means a developer in Kenya may immediately elevate cash — transparently, and in {dollars} — from a consumer in Kansas.
That’s the world Satoshi Nakamoto imagined when he launched Bitcoin.
And Coinbase is making an attempt to make it actual, one token sale at a time.
Right here’s My Take
Coinbase appears to be launching its new platform cautiously.
I consider that’s the appropriate method. As a result of the SEC nonetheless believes that almost all token gross sales qualify as securities.
Even with the guardrails Coinbase has put in place, it may nonetheless face regulatory scrutiny. The corporate says it has “consulted extensively” with regulators, however it’s unclear if this new platform has formal approval.
And market danger is one other issue right here. ICOs are sometimes risky. If the primary few gross sales flop or if these initiatives don’t ship, it may kill enthusiasm for this new platform.
Nonetheless, it might be crucial experiment in crypto finance because the launch of Ethereum.
If Coinbase’s mannequin succeeds, it may open a regulated path for public participation in early-stage initiatives. That might imply quicker funding for builders and broader possession for customers.
It will symbolize a real bridge between conventional markets and decentralized finance.
In different phrases, the web may lastly have its personal IPO system. And everybody will have the ability to participate in funding the long run.
Regards,
Ian KingChief Strategist, Banyan Hill Publishing
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