Coinbase CEO leverages Davos 2026 to speak to world leaders on crypto adoption

Coinbase Chief Executive Officer Brian Armstrong has outlined three priorities for his visit to the 2026 World Economic Forum (WEF) being held at Davos, Switzerland. 

Armstrong stated that he will be engaging world leaders on economic freedom and cryptocurrency adoption, advancing market structure legislation, and promoting tokenization to democratize capital market access.

“I’m talking to different world leaders about economic freedom and how crypto can update their financial system,” Armstrong said in a video posted on X, outlining that it is the first goal for them this week. 

This year’s edition of the WEF is themed “A Spirit of Dialogue,” and from Armstrong’s write-up and video, it seems he will be doing a lot of dialogue to advocate for what he calls the future of finance, which he says is here, and this time it’s built for the people.

Armstrong’s takeaways from Davos 2025

Last year, the Coinbase chief reported that cryptocurrency and artificial intelligence were the most discussed topics at Davos apart from President Donald Trump himself. 

Armstrong said nearly every conversation with major market leaders centered on the Trump administration’s cryptocurrency plans, particularly the proposed Strategic Bitcoin Reserve, which Trump later established in March 2025 via an executive order.

“President Trump is forcing everyone to up their game,” Armstrong wrote on X following the forum. “Basically every conversation I had with major market leaders was focused on what the Trump Admin planned to do on crypto – eg, on a Strategic Bitcoin Reserve – and how they can avoid being left behind.”

During a panel discussion at the forum, Armstrong stated that it was the “dawn of a new day” for cryptocurrency, contrasting with what he characterized as hostility from the previous administration. “You have to remember: the last four years, we really felt like we were being attacked by this administration,” he told CNBC in Davos.

Bitcoin did rise to its all-time high of over $126,198 in October 2025; however, it also crashed briefly that same month and hasn’t risen above $100,000 since November 2025.

Coinbase CEO to speak with bank CEOs

The second thing on Armstrong’s to-do list at Davos 2026 is to work with bank CEOs to find working legislation that works for all of them. “We’re going to continue to work on market structure legislation and meet with some of the bank CEOs to figure out how we can make this a win-win,” he stated.

Given the current boom in the usage of stablecoins, jurisdictions like the United States and Hong Kong have made legislation like the GENIUS Act and Stablecoin Ordinance, respectively, and they are not alone, as more have made and are making regulations that govern stablecoins. 

The United States is currently working on more robust crypto legislation known as the CLARITY Act, and some of its provisions, alongside those in the GENIUS Act, are of concern for stakeholders like Armstrong and CEOs of some major banks.

So, it’s no surprise that Armstrong wants to speak with them to forge a way to work together.

“Stablecoins should be an opportunity for both banks and crypto companies as long as we’re all treated on a level playing field,” he said, adding that final decisions would be deferred to the Senate and the current administration.

Democratizing capital markets

Armstrong’s third priority focused on tokenization and its potential to expand access to investment opportunities. He cited approximately 4 billion adults globally who lack access to brokerage services and quality investments.

“There’s about 4 billion adults globally that are unbrokered. They don’t have access to any kind of high quality investments,” Armstrong said. “This is the engine of wealth creation that everybody should have access to, and crypto’s gonna help make that happen.”

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