Coinbase Wallet’s Mysterious Rebrand—What’s Next?
If you checked Coinbase Wallet’s X profile recently, you might’ve noticed something odd. The name’s been crossed out, replaced with a vague “TBA” and a couple of question marks. No, the app isn’t disappearing—but it’s clearly getting a fresh identity.
Bradley Park, an analyst at DNTV Research in Seoul, thinks it could be rebranded as “The Base App.” That would make sense, given Base’s push to integrate more features directly into the wallet. “There’s plenty of speculation,” Park told CoinDesk, “but I’m leaning toward something tied to Base.”
The theory isn’t far-fetched. Last October, Base creator Jesse Pollak took over Coinbase’s Wallet team. Pollak has been vocal about decentralization, especially during Devcon in Bangkok last year. Maybe the rebrand is about distancing the wallet from Coinbase itself, emphasizing its standalone, decentralized nature.
This isn’t the first name change, either. Back in 2018, the wallet dropped its original name, “Toshi,” in favor of Coinbase Wallet. Now, it seems another shift is coming.
Ethereum’s Big ZK Push Wins Over Institutions
Cathie Wood, CEO of ARK Invest, isn’t an expert on zero-knowledge proofs—she admits that much. But she’s convinced Ethereum is on the right track. After the Ethereum Foundation laid out plans to bake ZK proofs directly into the protocol, Wood called it a smart move for “scalability and privacy,” one that could help Ethereum keep its lead in institutional adoption.
The upgrade would let validators check cryptographic proofs instead of re-running every transaction, slashing computational costs. Block builders or third-party networks would generate these proofs, with verification taking under 10 seconds on hardware costing less than $100,000.
It’s not without risks, though. If the provers—those generating the proofs—go offline or collude, the network could stall. The Ethereum Foundation’s solution? Diversify the provers, harden the protocol, and eventually let smaller players contribute from home.
If it works, Ethereum would be the first major blockchain with ZKPs built into its base layer. Combine that with cheaper data storage (thanks to blobs) and advances in zk-rollups, and Ethereum’s making a strong case for being the chain ready to handle mass adoption.
Markets: Bitcoin Holds Strong, Gold Keeps Climbing
Bitcoin edged up 1% over the weekend, flirting with $119K amid heavy trading. BlackRock’s IBIT crypto fund topped $80 billion in assets, a sign institutions aren’t backing off—even if some traders cashed out late in the session.
Ethereum, meanwhile, broke past $3,000 for the first time since February, jumping 3% as institutional money poured in. Gold’s rally didn’t slow either, hitting $3,371 as central banks keep stockpiling at a record pace—over 1,000 tonnes a year since 2022.
Not everything’s rosy, though. Asia-Pacific markets dipped early Monday after Trump’s surprise announcement of 30% tariffs on the EU and Mexico, set to kick in August 1. Japan’s Nikkei 225 fell 0.33%, reflecting the unease.
So, another week of twists—rebrands, tech upgrades, and market swings. Some things never change.
