Bitcoin Tops $80K as Coinbase Launches Tokenized Stocks on Base

Bitcoin Hits $80K as Coinbase Debuts Tokenized Stocks

Bitcoin has staged one of its sharpest rallies of the year, climbing to nearly $80,000 in early trading this week — a level not seen since May. The move caps a roughly 22–25% advance over just seven days, fueled by a combination of institutional demand and a rapid unwind of bearish positioning.

Spot Bitcoin ETFs have been central to the surge, pulling in more than $1.9 billion in net inflows over the past week, including a single-day haul of over $330 million. At the same time, a wave of short liquidations exceeding $220 million forced leveraged bears out of the market, accelerating the climb. Analysts tracking futures open interest note that funding rates remain relatively subdued even as prices rise, a sign the rally may be more structurally sound than the speculative spikes seen earlier in the cycle.

The broader market has followed Bitcoin's lead. Ethereum has pushed back above $2,470, Solana continues to post gains, and the total crypto market capitalization has climbed to roughly $2.75 trillion. The Crypto Fear & Greed Index now sits at 74, firmly in "Greed" territory and a sharp reversal from the "Fear" readings recorded just weeks earlier.

Coinbase Brings Tokenized U.S. Stocks Onchain via Base

Alongside the market rally, Coinbase marked a significant product milestone this week, launching tokenized versions of major U.S. stocks on Base, its Ethereum layer-2 network. The initial lineup includes Apple, Nvidia, Meta, and Alphabet, issued as "B20" tokens — a new standard Base built specifically for stablecoins and real-world assets.

Each token is backed 1:1 by shares held with regulated broker-custodian Alpaca, meaning holders have a direct claim on the underlying stock rather than a synthetic derivative. Dividends and stock splits are reflected automatically. The tokens can move freely between self-custody wallets without a whitelist and are designed to trade around the clock, well beyond the standard 9:30 a.m.–4:00 p.m. ET window for U.S. equities markets.

Coinbase tapped Chainlink to supply continuous price feeds for the new assets, enabling decentralized finance platforms — including Aave, Aerodrome, and Morpho — to integrate the tokenized shares as collateral for lending, trading, and structured products. The rollout, issued under a regulatory framework Coinbase secured through its tokenization hub in Abu Dhabi, is currently limited to eligible investors outside the United States, with more stock listings expected in the coming weeks.

Why It Matters

Together, the two developments point to a crypto market gaining confidence on two fronts: renewed institutional appetite for Bitcoin through regulated ETF products, and continued experimentation by major exchanges to merge traditional equities with onchain infrastructure. With the tokenized securities market already valued at roughly $2.48 billion and growing, and Bitcoin reclaiming levels not seen in months, this week's moves suggest the current rally has both price momentum and structural product innovation behind it.