Base App Ends Creator Rewards, Shifts to Trading


#Coinbase's Base App is discontinuing its Creator Rewards initiative and Farcaster social feed to concentrate exclusively on tradable assets. The strategic pivot comes seven months after the #rewards program distributed approximately $450,000 to 17,000 #creators.


Base creator Jesse Pollak announced the decision Monday, emphasizing the need for sharper focus. The app awarded an average of $26 per creator since launching the program in July. "We've realized we need to do less, better," Pollak stated.


The Creator Rewards program concludes Sunday, with final payments scheduled for Feb. 18. Pollak explained that Base App never functioned optimally as a Farcaster client. He expects users to migrate back to the dedicated Farcaster platform, potentially strengthening that ecosystem.


"The app needs to have one primary focus, and that thing is #trading," Pollak said. The shift aligns with Coinbase's broader ambition to build an "everything app" spanning spot crypto, derivatives, stablecoins, and real-world asset tokenization.


Base App launched publicly in December after months of beta testing. The self-custody wallet facilitates trading experiences central to Coinbase's expanded offerings. The platform previously explored launching a Base token, though executives have remained quiet on those plans recently.


The sunset affects only Creator Rewards, leaving the Creator Coins program intact. That initiative allows users to create ERC-20 tokens linked to their Base App profiles and decentralized social platform #Zora. Pollak believes eliminating the social feed will inject more energy into Farcaster's native economy.

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February 10, 2026 at 2:23 PM