Coinbase and Polymarket Named to TIME’s 100 Most Influential Companies of 2025

Coinbase and Polymarket, two prominent names in the crypto industry, have been recognized as part of TIME’s 100 Most Influential Companies of 2025. This recognition underscores the growing influence of blockchain-based platforms in shaping global systems and policy-making. Coinbase, a leading U.S.-based crypto exchange, has been acknowledged for its significant impact on digital asset policy and its expanding global footprint. The company's regulatory influence in both the U.S. and Europe has positioned it as a key player in the digital asset space. Coinbase's recent acquisition of a digital asset license from Luxembourg’s Commission de Surveillance du Secteur Financier (CSSF) under the European Union’s Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) framework allows it to handle its European user base from its new Luxembourg headquarters and provide compliance across the continent. This move reflects Coinbase's shift from a trading platform to a comprehensive crypto infrastructure provider, with ambitions to enter tokenized equities and compete with fintech brokers.

Polymarket, on the other hand, represents the innovative edge of the crypto industry. The platform allows users to speculate on real-world events by buying shares in the likelihood of specific outcomes, all powered by blockchain. Polymarket's inclusion in TIME’s list highlights the rise of event-driven, decentralized prediction markets. The platform is backed by major venture capital players, including a $200 million funding deal led by Founders Fund, which has taken its valuation to over $1 billion. Polymarket's system reflects market-based probabilities, with shares priced between $0 and $1, offering novel forecasting and hedging opportunities not possible with traditional markets. The platform continues to host speculative markets on geopolitical flashpoints while staying compliant with regulatory guidelines.

The recognition of both Coinbase and Polymarket by TIME illustrates a critical shift in how blockchain technology is perceived. No longer seen merely as a speculative asset class, blockchain technology is now recognized as a structural layer reshaping global systems. Coinbase has matured into a regulatory stakeholder and policy driver, with its reach spanning compliance, lawmaking, tokenized finance, and international regulatory frameworks. Polymarket, meanwhile, is showing that crypto can invent entirely new classes of finance, such as decentralized prediction markets that provide novel forecasting and hedging opportunities. Looking ahead, Coinbase's next move into tokenized equities could redefine retail investing, challenging firms like Robinhood and WeBull. For Polymarket, institutional interest will likely drive expansion into new verticals, with potential applications in enterprise risk management, data aggregation, and corporate forecasting. As regulatory frameworks mature, platforms like Polymarket could play a larger role in financial modeling and macroeconomic forecasting, using the “wisdom of crowds” approach tied to real financial incentives.