In 2017, crypto startups raised greater than $20 billion by a frenzy of Preliminary Coin Choices.
It was the age of the ICO increase.
I keep in mind simply how wild it was, just like the tip of the dotcom increase. Buyers had been shopping for digital tokens tied to concepts that hardly existed, whereas startups with nothing however a whitepaper had been elevating hundreds of thousands in a single day.
But, for a quick interval, it appeared just like the web had discovered a approach to substitute Wall Avenue.
Then the bubble burst.
By 2018, almost half of all ICOs had failed.
Picture: tokendata.io
Billions in investor capital had evaporated, and regulators everywhere in the world began cracking down laborious on crypto.
That would’ve been the tip of the experiment. However final week, Coinbase determined to resurrect it…
And perhaps repair what went incorrect.
The ICO Is Again
On November 10, Coinbase introduced a brand new platform that lets customers purchase crypto tokens earlier than they checklist on the change.
The corporate calls it: “a extra sustainable and clear approach for tasks to distribute tokens.”
In different phrases, we’re shifting into ICO 2.0. However this time there will likely be extra guidelines.
After all, platforms like Pump.enjoyable have already been working on this territory for some time, however in a much less formal and extra dangerous approach. Constructed on Solana, Pump.enjoyable lets anybody spin up a brand new token in minutes and begin buying and selling it nearly instantly.
And the outcomes have been staggering. As of mid-2025, the platform had spawned greater than 11.9 million tokens and generated over $780 million in income.
However most of those tokens by no means made it previous the primary day.
That’s as a result of Pump.enjoyable is constructed for velocity, not endurance. Anybody can launch a token, with little vetting or accountability.
And most do it for the hype. The tokens generated on Pump.enjoyable are typically memecoins, though the platform has just lately pivoted in direction of launching extra utility tokens.
Coinbase is approaching its ICO platform otherwise. If Pump.enjoyable is the on line casino of the crypto world, Coinbase desires to be the inventory change.
In keeping with the corporate, It plans to host one public token sale per 30 days as this system scales.
First up is Monad Labs, a brand new Layer 1 blockchain aiming to rival Solana’s transaction speeds. Monad will promote 7.5 billion MON tokens (7.5% of its provide) at $0.025 every, elevating about $187 million if absolutely subscribed. The sale will open on November 17 and run till November 22.
Patrons can make investments as little as $100 or as a lot as $100,000, however they have to use USD Coin (USDC). That’s the stablecoin backed one-to-one by U.S. {dollars} we’ve been speaking about so much just lately.
When the sale closes, Coinbase will use an algorithmic allocation mannequin that favors smaller buyers. The corporate calls it “fill from the underside.”
And to me, that’s what makes this new platform so thrilling. It provides on a regular basis buyers a good shot at getting in early, with out being crowded out by greater gamers.
Every undertaking should additionally submit tokenomics disclosures and settle for a six-month lockup earlier than staff members can promote their very own tokens.
This new platform represents a serious shift for the corporate. However why is it occurring now?
As a result of the crypto business is ravenous for brand spanking new funding fashions.
World token fundraising peaked at almost $20 billion in 2018, then collapsed to underneath $1 billion by 2020. And it has by no means absolutely recovered.
Enterprise capital has stuffed the hole — in 2024, VC corporations invested about $11.5 billion into crypto and blockchain startups — however a lot of that cash nonetheless flows to a handful of elite tasks.
In the meantime, retail buyers have been shut out.
However Coinbase is betting {that a} structured, clear platform can change that.
It’s additionally a wise approach for the corporate to evolve its enterprise. Buying and selling volumes on Coinbase are down roughly 40% since 2021, and buying and selling charges throughout the business maintain shrinking as rivals like Binance and Kraken slash prices to compete.
So Coinbase is shifting into the identical profitable territory that funding banks occupy in conventional markets…
Origination.
By internet hosting token gross sales, Coinbase turns into each the underwriter and the change, taking charges from issuers whereas locking customers deeper into its ecosystem.
It’s the digital equal of Nasdaq and Goldman Sachs rolled into one. And it’s a transfer that matches completely into Coinbase’s broader technique.
Earlier this yr, the corporate launched x402, an web fee protocol that lets one piece of software program pay one other utilizing USDC.
Now it’s including one other layer with the power for software program to lift capital instantly from customers.
That is what I imply once I speak about creating a real web capital market — a world system the place anybody can fund innovation with out banks or borders.
In sensible phrases, it means a developer in Kenya might immediately elevate cash — transparently, and in {dollars} — from a consumer in Kansas.
That’s the world Satoshi Nakamoto imagined when he launched Bitcoin.
And Coinbase is attempting to make it actual, one token sale at a time.
Right here’s My Take
Coinbase appears to be launching its new platform cautiously.
I consider that’s the correct method. As a result of the SEC nonetheless believes that the majority token gross sales qualify as securities.
Even with the guardrails Coinbase has put in place, it might nonetheless face regulatory scrutiny. The corporate says it has “consulted extensively” with regulators, however it’s unclear if this new platform has formal approval.
And market danger is one other issue right here. ICOs are sometimes risky. If the primary few gross sales flop or if these tasks don’t ship, it might kill enthusiasm for this new platform.
Nonetheless, it might be crucial experiment in crypto finance because the launch of Ethereum.
If Coinbase’s mannequin succeeds, it might open a regulated path for public participation in early-stage tasks. That will imply quicker funding for builders and broader possession for customers.
It might signify a real bridge between conventional markets and decentralized finance.
In different phrases, the web might lastly have its personal IPO system. And everybody will have the ability to participate in funding the longer term.
Regards,
Ian King
Chief Strategist, Banyan Hill Publishing
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