Morpho

Impact

USDC

Rewards

<div class="key-points-section">
 Key Points:
 <ul>
 <li>Coinbase limits USDC rewards to paying Coinbase One members.</li>
 <li>Non-paying users lose rewards on December 15.</li>
 <li>Regulatory and economic factors influence decision.</li>
 </ul>
</div>
Coinbase will cease providing USDC rewards to non-paying users from December 15, 2025, maintaining this program exclusively for subscribers of Coinbase One.
This shift underscores a strategic move to enhance Coinbase One's value proposition amid changing regulatory and economic conditions, affecting USDC yield access for non-subscribers.
<h2 id="coinbase-s-policy-shift-on-usdc-rewards">Coinbase's Policy Shift on USDC Rewards</h2>
Coinbase Global, Inc. will end USDC rewards for non-paying users, reserving benefits for <a href="https://www.coinbase.com/blog/earn-competitive-yields-by-lending-your-usdc" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Coinbase One</a> subscribers starting December 15, 2025. The decision aligns with their strategic focus on paying members and economic adjustments.
USDC rewards have been a customer loyalty program offered at Coinbase’s discretion. With the new policy, only Coinbase One subscribers will earn USDC rewards, increasing their yield benefits compared to standard users.
<h3 id="impact-and-strategic-realignments">Impact and Strategic Realignments</h3>
The immediate effect involves non-paying users losing a previously accessible yield benefit, leading to potential shifts in customer decisions. USDC balances are directly impacted, emphasizing a customer move towards paid subscriptions for rewards.
Coinbase's decision reflects broader economic and regulatory dynamics, such as interest rate changes. This move also aligns with earlier regulatory adjustments (MiCA) that have shaped Coinbase’s strategic offerings regionally.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
 <a href="https://twitter.com/MyriadMarkets/status/1999134553340772686" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow"></a>
</blockquote>
Further, a notable outcome includes the promotion of on-chain lending via Morpho on Base as an alternative yield path. This showcases Coinbase’s shift from custodial rewards to DeFi-integrated yield opportunities in response to market conditions.
<blockquote>
 "Most communications appear to be internal or handled through email notifications, and no explicit public statements from executives or prominent figures in the crypto community about this change have been documented yet."
</blockquote>
The strategic alignment highlights trends in DeFi yield over custodial rewards, influenced by regulations and interest rates. Historically, this mirrors shifts where centralized firms reduce reward programs, channeling customers towards decentralized platforms for optimized yields.<a href="https://marketbit.io/coinbase-usdc-rewards-paying-members/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Read original article on marketbit.io</a>

Coinbase Limits USDC Rewards to Paying Members

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