Coinbase’s (COIN) asset manager bring its bitcoin (BTC) yield fund onchain with Apex

Exchange giant Coinbase’s (COIN) asset management arm is bringing its bitcoin yield fund onchain, creating a tokenized share class of the fund with $3.5 trillion fund administrator Apex Group.

The Coinbase Bitcoin Yield Fund, managed by Coinbase Asset Management (CBAM), will be available to investors on the Base network, Coinbase’s blockchain built on Ethereum. Apex remains the transfer agent, keeping records aligned with the fund’s net asset value.

The launch comes as global asset managers are looking at tokenization as the next frontier in how capital markets evolve, making bonds, equites and funds tradable on blockchain rails. Firms including BlackRock (BLK), Fidelity and Franklin Templeton have introduced tokenized funds in recent years, aiming to speed up settlement times, cut costs and open new distribution channels.

Brett Tejpaul, head of Coinbase Institutional, said the company’s asset management business already has a lot of institutional capital allocated, with many investors holding core positions in bitcoin and ether.

“Incrementally, we’re getting new capital coming to the space that wants the ability to get compounded returns, so their bet isn’t just on the appreciation of bitcoin, but while they’re waiting for it to rise in price, they’re earning yield along the way,” he told CoinDesk.

“The bitcoin yield fund allows them to do that by virtue of doing things like selling call options or participating in lending arrangements.”

Tokenized assets are potentially a multiple-trillion-dollar market, with estimates ranging from McKinsey’s projection of $2 trillion by 2030 to BCG and Ripple’s $18.9 trillion target by 2033.

Apex, a significant player in the fund service business supporting $3.5 trillion in assets, is increasingly leaning into tokenization as well. It acquired Tokeny last year, a specialist that facilitated the tokenization of over $32 billion in assets. Apex also said it plans to tokenize $100 billion in funds using the T-REX Ledger by June 2027 to manage ownership and compliance across multiple blockchains.

In the case of the Coinbase Bitcoin Yield Fund, the tokenized share class uses the ERC-3643 token standard, which encodes investor checks directly into the token. Only approved investors can hold or transfer the asset, with identity tied to each wallet through a dedicated onboarding process.

The setup replaces manual compliance checks with automated rules. If a wallet is not cleared, the transaction fails. That could reduce friction in how institutional investors access and move fund positions.

The fund is available to non-U.S. investors, but CBAM said it plans to create a tokenized share class of the fund’s U.S.-version as well.