Traditional finance is too outdated! Coinbase CEO reveals "8 major upgrade areas for future finance": RWA and AI payments will become standard features

Traditional financial systems are no longer keeping up with the times! Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong published a lengthy article yesterday (24th), directly pointing out that the current financial system urgently needs a comprehensive overhaul, and highlighted the "8 major upgrade areas" for the future. From RWA tokenization, 24/7 trading, stablecoins and AI-powered proxy payments, to calls for friendly regulation and inclusive capital formation mechanisms. He boldly declared that before these visions benefit everyone around the world, "our work is not done yet!" (Background summary: Coinbase: Don't fear Wall Street competition, "crypto voters" have become a global political norm) (Additional context: Coinbase Bitcoin premium index drops to -0.1011%, hitting a new low since April! Traders warn: Bitcoin may drop to $74k)

Table of Contents

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• 1. RWA and 24/7 Trading: Unlocking Global Liquidity
• 2. Payment Revolution: The Rise of Stablecoins and AI Agents
• 3. Reshaping Regulation and Capital Formation to Fight the Inflation Beast

Brian Armstrong, the leader of Coinbase, the world's largest publicly traded cryptocurrency exchange, has set the latest strategic coordinates for the future of Web3 and the global financial blueprint.

Today (25th), Brian Armstrong posted a powerful long article on social platform X, directly criticizing that the current financial system is already exhausted, and listing in detail the "8 core areas" that must be urgently updated in the future financial system. This list not only covers the most forward-looking technological trends but also issues a strong call for current regulatory environments.

Major areas where the financial system still needs an update:

1. Tokenization of real-world assets – Real estate, stocks, bonds, funds, etc. onchain for instant settlement, fractional ownership & massive distribution.

2. 24/7 Global trading – Pooled global liquidity, every…

— Brian Armstrong (@brian_armstrong) May 24, 2026

1. RWA and 24/7 Trading: Unlocking Global Liquidity

Armstrong first highlighted the hottest topic in capital markets today: Real-World Asset (RWA) tokenization. He pointed out that real estate, stocks, bonds, and funds should all be on-chain, enabling instant settlement, fractional ownership, and large-scale liquidity.

Next, he emphasized that financial markets must move toward 24/7 around-the-clock global trading. Future markets should pool global liquidity, allowing every asset and every person to participate at any time, with extremely high capital efficiency and leverage, completely breaking the constraints of traditional stock market closing hours and weekend closures.

2. Payment Revolution: The Rise of Stablecoins and AI Agents

In terms of payments and applications, Armstrong depicts a future scene composed of next-generation payments and AI-driven mechanisms:

• Stablecoins and AI Agents: In the future, near-instant and low-cost global transfers will rely on stablecoins, and even AI robots will have wallets, automatically acting as proxies for humans to conduct financial payments and settlements.
• Inclusive AI Financial Advisors: AI will be widely used for risk assessment, credit rating, and compliance checks, significantly reducing fraud. More importantly, AI will turn the once-exclusive "excellent financial advisors" for the wealthy into services accessible to everyone.

3. Reshaping Regulation and Capital Formation to Fight the Inflation Beast

Beyond technological innovation, Armstrong also targets systemic issues that hinder development. He calls on governments worldwide to implement friendly regulation that encourages innovation, abandoning rigid "one-size-fits-all" policies in favor of risk-based flexible rules to promote market competition and replace stifling innovation.

To benefit more people from the financial system, he envisions:

• Expanded Access: Reduce exploitation by middlemen through open-source protocols and promote "self-custody wallets," enabling anyone with a smartphone worldwide to seamlessly connect to global finance.
• Capital Formation: Significantly lower fundraising thresholds, allowing entrepreneurs with good ideas to raise capital easily and at low cost, fostering more startups.
• Sound Money: As national fiat currencies gradually lose fiscal discipline, Bitcoin and cryptocurrencies offer an ultimate refuge from inflation and asset depreciation.

At the end of the article, Armstrong firmly states:

"Before these systems can operate well for everyone, our work is not finished."

He also emphasizes that this requires not only massive technological innovation but also long-term policy efforts to realize.