Coinbase Moves to Secure Vector.fun for Wider Solana Access
- Coinbase seeks Vector.fun to widen Solana trading reach and expand its on-chain pathways.
- Vectorfun tools will help Coinbase build cross-chain access for new asset flows.
- Crypto M&A surges as significant firms advance bold acquisition agendas this year.
Coinbase Global Inc. plans to acquire Vector.fun to deepen its investment in the Solana network. The acquisition marks a significant step for Coinbase as it seeks to integrate Solana-based technology into its trading infrastructure for faster and broader access.
Solana Integration Sparks New Growth Plans
According to Coinbase, Solana is still growing fast, and Vector.fun is contributing to this growth thanks to its place on the blockchain. The platform plans to incorporate Vector’s technology straight into its backend to make transactions faster.
This coincides with Solana’s image of having a very high capacity and being very trustworthy in execution.Vector.fun operates as a decentralized exchange on Solana. It allows users to trade memecoins and view their trading position. Coinbase plans to close Vector.Fun’s desktop and mobile apps as part of the acquisition.
It will also hire the platform’s 13 employees to bring the technology in-house. Vector’s tooling will help Coinbase expand token access through decentralized exchanges on its primary app. Currently, users can only trade tokens through DEXs built on Base, the company’s own chain.
With this move, Coinbase intends to add Solana-based trading routes to broaden user access across networks. This raises a pivotal question: how quickly will centralized and decentralized systems converge?
M&A Momentum Builds Across the Crypto Industry
Coinbase’s deal for Vector.fun is its ninth acquisition in 2025, three times more than in 2024. According to reports, the company has already spent significant amounts across multiple deals this year. It purchased Deribit for $2.9 billion in May. It also purchased Echo for $375 million in October. Coinbase explored a $2 billion deal for BVNK, although both parties stepped back in November.
Executives say the current landscape encourages consolidation because many firms now reach higher maturity levels. Coinbase also strengthened its balance sheet during the bull market of 2024 and 2025. This allowed the company to deploy capital more aggressively after limited profits in 2022 and 2023.
The broader crypto industry also recorded its strongest M&A quarter ever in the third quarter of 2025. Architect Partners reported 96 transactions worth more than $10 billion. Ripple purchased GTreasury for $1 billion during the year. Kraken paid $1.5 billion for NinjaTrader. These deals signal a wave of strategic acquisitions as companies build deeper infrastructure.
Related: Coinbase Expands Into ETH-Backed Institutional Lending
Industry Trends Support Hybrid Models
The purchase made is in harmony with the current trend of central exchanges using decentralized trading technology. Integration of PancakeSwap with Binance and support of Serum by FTX are previous examples.
Coinbase’s decision reflects this momentum as companies delve into hybrid schemes. Vector. Fun’s technology may help create a bridge between traditional custodial platforms and permissionless systems. This could influence future protocol architecture, especially as projects are designed for broader compliance.
Investors could eventually gain access to more cross-chain liquidity options as these systems evolve. Such progress indicates a rise in the participation of institutions in on-chain settings. Nevertheless, the future is unpredictable; the history of past movements is that they always lead to deeper interoperability and unified trading systems.
