Coinbase Just Teased a Product With Nothing to Do With Crypto — or Does It?
Coinbase plans to let users open Pokémon card packs on their phones, with each digital pull tied to a real card.
The exchange teased the feature on X. However, it shared no launch date, pricing, or card list beyond saying it is coming soon.
How Coinbase Pokémon Cards Would Work
Your binder is about to get a major upgrade.
— Coinbase 🛡️ (@coinbase) September 28, 2026
Rip packs on your phone.
Every pull backed by a real, physical card.
Vault it or ship it.
Soon on Coinbase. pic.twitter.com/Utfwq30DSj
The teaser shows five Pokémon-branded packs numbered 01 to 05 in blue, silver, copper, gold, and black. The colors could point to different price tiers, although Coinbase has not confirmed this.
After ripping a pack, users can vault the card, meaning a custodian stores it for them. Alternatively, they can have the physical card shipped home.
When a user described the idea as Pokémon packs on the chain, Coinbase replied “you get it.” That hints at an onchain element, though the exchange has not named a blockchain.
Coinbase has also not said whether The Pokémon Company licensed the product. Meanwhile, the model already exists elsewhere. GameStop sells digital Power Packs with PSA-graded Pokémon cards that buyers can vault, sell, or ship.
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Why a Crypto Exchange Wants Your Binder
Collectibles have attracted serious money this year. In August, Pokémon cards outpaced Bitcoin and the S&P 500 over three months. Polymarket also launched Pokémon card prediction markets, letting traders bet on card prices.
For Coinbase, the move fits its broader pitch. When a user joked that the company would onboard everything on earth, Coinbase replied.
well, we are the Everything Exchange,” Coinbase said
The push also comes as the exchange looks beyond trading fees. Coinbase posted a $359.5 million net loss in the second quarter after revenue missed forecasts.
Another user called vaulting the real game changer. In response, Coinbase said there is more to come.
Still, key questions remain open, including costs, eligible countries, and how card values will be set. As a result, the full launch should reveal whether collectors trust an exchange with their grails.