Why 2025 Will Be the “Year of the Crypto IPO”

The recent Feb 6 report of Cameron and Winklevoss-backed, NY-headquartered crypto exchange Gemini considering an IPO in 2025 has once again put the limelight on the deliberations surrounding the ‘centralised crypto exchanges (CEXs) going public’.

Crypto exchange Gemini is reportedly considering an IPO in 2025, putting a spotlight on the possibility of centralized crypto exchanges (CEXs) going public.

The idea gained attention when Coinbase went public via direct listing on April 14, 2021. On the first day of trading, Coinbase stock (COIN) soared to a high of $429 -though it fell after due to market volatility. However, Coinbase user acquisition surged from 68 million in Q2 2021 to 110 million in Q4 2022, highlighting the benefits it accrued.

This milestone set by Coinbase had opened up the queue to follow ups with other exchanges considering a similar option, the recent being Gemini.

How and Why should a Crypto Exchange like Gemini go public?

When a crypto exchange goes public, it follows a practice similar to that followed by traditional companies. Despite being subject to stringent regulatory compliances, an exchange can go public in three ways – IPO, Direct Listing and Special Purpose Acquisition Company (SPAC) – in which an exchange merges with a pre-listed shell company to avoid the traditional IPO process.

The traditional benefits by going public remain the same for crypto exchanges too. Since exchanges usually rely on transaction fees as their major source of revenue, the substantial amount of funds that they raise in the process of going public can be utilized for further expansion, making acquisitions and technology upgrades in their institutional infrastructure. It also opens up the door for those investors who do not directly want to invest in crypto but can then do so by trading in the exchange’s stock. Furthermore, if it is on Wall Street, the gap between traditional and decentralized world bridges.

With the crypto market growth booming and set to accelerate further as we witness the change in tides of US administration, the time to talk about going public and making the ultimate decision couldn’t be more suitable. Bitcoin (BTC) has achieved an ATH of $108,000 and more countries are looking forward to the approval of Exchange-Traded Funds (ETFs) on the line of US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The stimulus received from the US election can be gauged by the fact that Coinbase Global has witnessed a 65% rise in its stock price since the election. A report by Barron’s in fact predicted that 2025 can be the year of crypto IPOs. It quoted Alex Thorn, head of research at Galaxy Digital who predicted that “A shift at the SEC on digital assets could lead to an explosion of public offerings and a dramatic expansion of the crypto equities landscape”. And taking the IPO step can further enhance the integration of the traditional and crypto world while also bolstering the credibility of the exchange itself.

How do crypto exchange users benefit from it?

Not only the exchange, but the crypto investors and users also benefit from it. As publicly listed exchanges have to disclose financial statements mandatorily, it increases trust and transparency for the users. The regularly reported quarterly earnings provide greater insights to the users. They also face less risk of sudden collapse in comparison to private exchanges

Exchanges gone public and considering IPOs further

Apart from the above mentioned crypto exchange, Coinbase, many other crypto exchanges have gone public in the past:

Final Thoughts

However, certain challenges do remain for the crypto exchanges considering IPOs. Regulatory uncertainty coupled with strict securities’ law compliance can make the process more complex for crypto projects counterpart to their traditional companies. Strict Anti-Money Laundering (AML) and alignment with International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) is also required to be followed.

Moreover, an analysis research firm by 10x Research further stated that crypto firms planning an IPO can fuel the BTC rally – driving its price to All time Highs! Nonetheless, the aftermath benefits crypto exchanges by tackling challenges and regulated compliance are non-negotiable.