Coinbase on the ropes – CFO reveals plans to improve finances

San Francisco-based cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase is considering further job cuts if necessary to boost its financial performance, according to its Chief Financial Officer Alesia Haas.

Coinbase’s financial situation

This comes after the firm has gone through two waves of layoffs in the previous year, the first of which occurred in June of last year and the second of which occurred in January of this year.

According to Haas, the exchange is also trying to increase its earnings before interest, taxes, and depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) from one year to the next and may right-size its costs if the need arises.

Some people have been taken aback by the fact that Coinbase is having such a difficult time keeping its finances in order, especially considering that the business went public in April 2021 via a direct offering and had an initial value of more than $100 billion.

However, despite the company reporting a revenue of $629 million for Q4 2022, which was higher than the average analyst estimate of $581 million, it was a significant decline from the $2.5 billion registered in the same period in 2021.

The company also posted a net loss of $557 million, as I reported yesterday, which was significantly higher than the $840 million net income reported in Q4 2021.

It is anticipated that Coinbase’s subscriptions and services business, which presently covers the majority of the company’s expenditures, would be the driving force behind the transition to positive EBITDA.

According to the shareholder letter sent by the firm, the business has already achieved a considerable reduction in its operating expenses, with a decrease of thirty percent between the first and fourth quarters in areas such as technology, sales, and marketing.

Yet, it is not yet clear whether or not these strategies for reducing costs will be sufficient to enhance the bottom line of the corporation significantly.

Regulatory focus and legal challenges

Also, Coinbase said that 2023 would be a “year of regulatory focus,” and the business is certain that due to its solid foundation, it will be a net benefactor of this new environment.

Nonetheless, there is a possibility that the firm would meet difficulties, most notably in the process of registering its crypto goods with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Paul Grewal, Coinbase’s chief legal officer, spoke about the challenges of registering crypto products with the SEC during the earnings call.

I think it’s fair to say that at this time, the path for registration for products and services that may qualify as securities has not been open, or at least readily or easily open. So that’s proven to be challenging.

Paul Grewal

Coinbase suggested that it may consider legal action if regulators determine that a cryptocurrency on its platform is a security, according to its annual report.

Coinbase has also been losing market share, which dropped from 5.9% in November to 4.1% in February, according to CryptoCompare.

Meanwhile, the world’s biggest crypto exchange, Binance, has gained share, reaching nearly 60% in February, according to the researcher. Assets on the platform fell to $80 billion, down 71% from a year ago.