Coinbase gets New Jersey staking relief after three years — Details

Coinbase has secured a significant legal victory in New Jersey after state regulators formally dropped their lawsuit against the cryptocurrency exchange over its staking services.

According to Molly Abraham, VP of Legal at Coinbase, the state has also lifted the cease-and-desist order previously imposed on Coinbase, allowing the platform to resume offering staking services to customers in New Jersey.

When and how did this all begin?

The dispute dates back to 2023, when New Jersey’s Bureau of Securities took action against Coinbase. It alleged that its staking program constituted an unregistered securities offering.

Regulators argued that Coinbase had failed to register its staking-as-a-service program under state securities laws. As a result, the exchange faced restrictions that prevented eligible New Jersey residents from participating in its staking program and earning rewards on their digital assets.

With the lawsuit now dismissed and the enforcement order lifted, Coinbase can restore staking access for its New Jersey customers. 

Challenges remain for Coinbase

As expected, Coinbase’s Chief Policy Officer, Faryar Shirzad, welcomed the decision, describing it as an important development for staking access across the U.S. 

However, the company also indicated that its regulatory battle is far from over. Wisconsin, Maryland, California, and Washington remain among the states where staking-related restrictions or disputes need to be addressed.

Coinbase market dynamics spark red flags

Coinbase has witnessed growing traction in tokenized stocks lately, with it ranked second among tokenized stock issuers by decentralized exchange (DEX) trading volume over the past seven days.

In fact, according to Token Terminal, its tokenized assets now account for 26.7% of the total trading volume, narrowly trailing Robinhood’s 27.3%. Source: Token Terminal

However, broader market indicators point towards weakening investor demand. For instance, the Coinbase Premium Index has remained negative for 39 consecutive days. This indicated that Bitcoin [BTC] has consistently traded at a discount on Coinbase compared to global cryptocurrency markets.

On 30th October, the index dropped to -0.2682%, reflecting heightened selling pressure and weaker buying interest following the Binance hack. In fact, at press time too, it remained negative at -0.1847%. This suggested that selling pressure had not completely subsided.

Meanwhile, $COIN stock has been struggling too. It was changing hands at $137.83 at press time after a drop of 3.98%. 

Morgan Stanley stirs the pot even further

Morgan Stanley recently downgraded COIN from Equalweight to Underweight and slashed its price target from $258 to $120. Analyst Michael Cyprys cited deteriorating confidence in the company’s earnings recovery, weaker trading activity, a softer revenue outlook, and uncertainty surrounding the crypto market.

The investment bank also reduced its 2027 revenue and adjusted EBITDA forecasts by 28% and 47%, respectively. 

All of this further coincided with the exchange reporting net income of $719 million for Q3 2026, compared to $433 million during the same period last year.

This means that despite New Jersey’s victory and its growing presence in tokenized stocks, there are significant headwinds still surrounding Coinbase’s business outlook.

Final Summary

• With the lawsuit now dismissed, Coinbase can restore staking access for its New Jersey customers.
• $COIN stock has been struggling too as it fell by 3.98% in its most recent trading session.