Coinbase Shares Jump 8% as Goldman Raises Price Target to $303 on Strong Growth Outlook
Coinbase shares surged after Goldman Sachs gave them a boost, upgrading the stock and sending a strong signal that the investment bank...
Quick overview
- Coinbase shares rose 8% after Goldman Sachs upgraded the stock from 'neutral' to 'buy', signaling confidence in crypto infrastructure companies.
- Goldman Sachs set a 12-month price target of $303 for Coinbase, indicating potential growth of around 18% from current levels.
- Coinbase is focusing on expanding its stablecoin and tokenization offerings, aiming to build a broader ecosystem beyond just trading.
- Despite regulatory uncertainties, Goldman Sachs remains optimistic about the crypto sector's growth potential by 2026.
Coinbase shares surged after Goldman Sachs gave them a boost, upgrading the stock and sending a strong signal that the investment bank is backing crypto companies that focus on building infrastructure rather than just trading.
The upgrade put Coinbase right up there with the top performers on the large-cap crypto equities list and all but confirms that crypto will keep growing in 2026.
With the crypto sector undergoing a period of change – with regulators tightening their grip and investors shifting their focus – digital asset firms are scrambling to find new ways to make money.
One way Coinbase is trying to do this is to get in on the ground floor of the infrastructure coin by building up its stablecoin and tokenization offerings. And that strategy is starting to resonate with the powers that be on Wall Street.
Goldman Sachs Upgrades Coinbase to Buy – And It’s Not Just Hot Air
Goldman Sachs has just upped its rating on Coinbase Global from “neutral” to “buy” after realising that some big opportunities are waiting to be grabbed outside of the purely crypto-trading space – and it’s given the company a 12-month price target of $303 to boot. The beauty of that is that shares could rise by around 18% from current levels.
🔥 Goldman Sachs has upgraded Coinbase's $COIN stock to "buy" causing the stock to rally 8% with a $300 price target. pic.twitter.com/XwN9SqNjzF
— ALLINCRYPTO (@RealAllinCrypto) January 6, 2026
So what happened to Coinbase’s shares after this upgrade? Well, they closed 8% higher at $254.92 – and stayed steady in after-hours trading too.
“We’re not wildly optimistic about the US brokers, but we do hold selective optimism about structurally growing crypto infrastructure businesses,” said Goldman Sachs analyst James Yaro – and he reckons Coinbase is very much in the latter camp.
The upgrade is a testament to the bank’s belief that Coinbase is well-positioned to capture growth across multiple markets as crypto becomes a more mainstream asset and institutional investors take a larger stake in the action.
Beyond Trading – Infrastructure and New Markets is Where it’s At
Goldman Sachs says Coinbase is focused on building a broader ecosystem for crypto, rather than just making a buck off transaction fees. And that’s a strategy that’s designed to keep earnings stable even when the market gets a bit wobbly.
The company is trying to get in on the ground floor of some of the biggest growth areas for crypto – and these include:
- Tokenisation initiatives – so that real-world assets can be moved on to the blockchain
- Stablecoin expansion – supporting payments and settlement
- Prediction markets – its partnership with Kalshi is giving it a foot in the door on this one
- Base – it’s an Ethereum layer-2 network aimed at scaling up applications and making them run faster
Coinbase’s Chief Executive Brian Armstrong has said this is all part of the company’s grand plan to become an “everything exchange” – with 2026 a key year for rolling out new services and deepening the company’s roots in trading, infrastructure, and blockchain.
🔥 NEW: Coinbase stock rallies 8% after Goldman Sachs upgrades to 'buy' and raises price target to $303, citing growth in crypto infrastructure, tokenization, and prediction markets. pic.twitter.com/RCVxRoTtzl
— Cointelegraph (@Cointelegraph) January 6, 2026
One of the areas that’s taken off fastest in the past year is prediction markets – and that’s given Coinbase a nice bit of exposure to a niche that’s getting a lot of attention from users.
What’s Going on with US Regulation?
Goldman Sachs is also fairly optimistic about where the crypto sector is heading in 2026 – despite being mindful that we’re still waiting for key legislation to be passed in the US.
But there’s a warning too – if that bill fails, then it could create a headwind for the whole ecosystem – and that’s bad news for clarity and certainty for companies and investors alike. Still, this is a bullish call from Goldman Sachs, and its analyst has a strong track record and average annual return.
- Check out our free forex signals
- Follow the top economic events on FX Leaders economic calendar
- Trade better, discover more Forex Trading Strategies
- Open a FREE Trading Account
Save