By Brian Armstrong, CEO and Co-Founder
Like all asset classes, crypto markets will rise and fall over time. And, as we saw in 2017, we will sometimes see strong rallies in the market where prices will rise quickly and aggressively. While we are always excited to see more interest in crypto, it is also important to note that this is not only a time of high volumes, but also price volatility.
We believe that crypto is a truly game-changing innovation and, at Coinbase, we are taking a long-term view of the market. While it is great to see market rallies and news organizations turning their attention to this emerging asset class in a new way, we cannot stress enough the importance of understanding that investing in crypto is not without risk. For one, crypto can be a volatile asset class – often more so than the types of traditional financial instruments that most investors are used to. For example, this means that the market can move in a much faster direction than equity markets. And while we offer traders a full range of trading tools to take advantage of market conditions, we likewise warn investors who may be focusing on short-term speculation and encourage customers to seek resources and consult financial advisers to better understand the risks associated with them. investing in cryptocurrencies. For those who believe in the potential of crypto, we all have to believe that we are still in the very early stages and that there is much more to come.
At Coinbase, we are committed to bringing the potential of crypto to everyone. As part of this commitment, we will always strive to provide the highest levels of security, trust and transparency for our customers. During periods of extreme demand – such as those we are currently witnessing as a result of the current market rally – we work tirelessly to deliver on this promise. Although we sometimes fail to arrive, we always do our best to address our shortcomings and communicate transparently any information our customers need to manage their accounts confidently and make trading decisions knowledgeable.