TL;DR
- Jesse Pollak confirmed that the launch of 1:1-backed tokenized stocks on Base is “imminent” and in its final stage.
- The creator of Base acknowledged that the network fell behind Robinhood Chain, which already offers tokenized equities in an EVM environment.
- The network is abandoning its focus on social products and redirecting its strategy toward trading, payments, AI agents, and tokenized assets.
Base is preparing to launch 1:1-backed tokenized stocks, as confirmed by Jesse Pollak, creator of the Ethereum layer-2 network developed by Coinbase. In a post on X, Pollak stated that the launch is “imminent,” declaring that they are in a process of final adjustments before the official release.
The exchange took place when Garrett Skrovina, fintech director at Lazer Technologies, inquired about the expected timeline for incorporating tokenized equities on the network. Pollak’s response was direct: “Imminent: finishing the last details, but should be very soon.”
one thing robinhood chain has done right is have tokenized equities in an EVM environment.
we've been behind on this on @base and i'm frustrated that's the case. but we're close to fixing it with @coinbase. and when we do, we'll have 1:1 backed equities (vs. robinhood's…
— jesse.base.eth (@jessepollak) July 21, 2026
Pollak Brings Base Up to Speed with Robinhood Chain
In the same message, Jesse acknowledged a competitive disadvantage: he highlighted that Robinhood Chain, the recently launched Ethereum L2, successfully managed to implement tokenized stocks in an EVM environment, and admitted that Base arrived late to that market. His comparison underscores the fierce competition among different networks to position themselves as on-chain financial infrastructure.
A phenomenon of deep strategic reorientation is taking shape for the network. Pollak publicly acknowledged that Base made a “betting mistake” by prioritizing creator applications, content, and messaging during an earlier stage of its development. That bet did not generate the expected results.
From Social to Financial Stack
The new direction is clear: trading, payments, artificial intelligence agents, and tokenized assets will now be the central axis and focus of the team. The incorporation of 1:1-backed tokenized stocks fits directly into that vision, and will be a key step toward consolidating Base as a large-scale decentralized financial services platform.
The launch also highlights a clear trend across the crypto industry. Several networks are competing to capture traditional capital flows through the tokenization of real-world assets. Base is now seeking to occupy a prominent place in that ecosystem.
