CEO of the crypto exchange Coinbase Brian Armstrong announced that they are continuing to actively seek new companies for mergers and acquisitions. This announcement came after the completion of a deal to acquire the Deribit crypto platform for $2.9 billion. Armstrong emphasized that the strong balance sheet and status of a publicly traded company provide the exchange with liquid instruments to execute such transactions.

Coinbase’s head clarified that the company would not make deals for the sake of the deals themselves, but focus on strategically important assets. The priority is for international companies that can accelerate product development and global exchange expansion. Armstrong has refused to comment on rumors of a possible takeover of the USDC token issuer from Circle, with which Coinbase is already working closely under the revenue-sharing agreement.

Recall that the deal to purchase Deribit, the world’s largest platform for crypto options trading with an annual trading volume of over $1 trillion, was completed in August 2025. This acquisition was a key step in Coinbase’s strategy to strengthen its position in the derivatives market and transform it into a versatile digital asset platform.