May 5 (Reuters) - Coinbase said on Tuesday it would cut about 700 jobs, or about 14% of its global workforce, as it trims costs amid crypto market volatility and repositions the business for the artificial intelligence era.
The layoffs come as digital asset exchanges grapple with a slowdown in trading activity following a broader pullback in crypto markets from their October peak, reflecting more cautious investor sentiment.
"With still subdued trading volumes and weak sentiment, we see the action as supportive of forward profitability," Clear Street analyst Owen Lau said.
Lau added that beyond cost cuts, the management is reshaping teams around AI-driven workflows, signaling a longer-term push for higher productivity per employee.
The company expects to complete the exercise largely in the second quarter of 2026 and to incur charges of about $50 million to $60 million, primarily related to severance and other employee benefits.
The company said additional costs could arise from unforeseen restructuring factors, with most charges expected in the second quarter.
COST CUTS, AI FOCUS
Layoffs have been widespread across U.S. companies at the start of the year, as businesses cut expenses, simplify operations and adjust to the growing use of AI tools.
CEO Brian Armstrong cited rapid advances in artificial intelligence, saying new tools were allowing non-technical teams to ship code and automate tasks with smaller, focused teams.
Shares of Coinbase were down 1.6% in early morning trading.
"The Coinbase job cuts reflect both the underperformance of its shares and the drop in crypto trading volumes," Coin Bureau co-founder Nic Puckrin said.
Puckrin said ongoing uncertainty around stablecoin yields under the Clarity Act had hit sentiment hard, noting they are a key part of Coinbase's business.
Coinbase remained well-capitalised for long-term growth, but current market conditions required it to streamline operations and emerge leaner ahead of the next crypto cycle, Armstrong said in a blog post.
"April (trading) activity across digital asset exchanges has slowed," Jefferies analyst Daniel T. Fannon said in a note, adding that the weak start had set the second quarter on a softer footing.
Coinbase said affected employees will receive severance and transition support, including a minimum of 16 weeks of base pay for U.S. staff, and an additional two weeks per year of service, their next equity vesting and six months of healthcare coverage.
Coinbase has previously undertaken rounds of job cuts during downturns in the crypto market, underscoring the sector's sensitivity to trading activity and investor sentiment.
(Reporting by Prakhar Srivastava and Pragyan Kalita in Bengaluru; Editing by Shailesh Kuber and Shreya Biswas)
