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Feb 15 (Reuters) – Coinbase Global swung to a profit in the fourth-quarter, helped by higher interest income that the crypto exchange earned on its stablecoin reserves and other products.
The company on Thursday reported a profit of $273.4 million, or $1.04 per share, in the three months ended Dec. 31, compared with a loss of $557 million, or $2.46 per share, a year ago.
The U.S. Federal Reserve has kept its benchmark rate elevated after tightening monetary policy at an unprecedented pace, allowing companies to rake in bigger incomes from their interest-earnings assets.
Coinbase earns interest on reserves from USD Coin (USDC), a stablecoin it governs jointly with fintech firm Circle. USDC, a crypto token designed to have a relatively stable price, is backed by dollar and equivalent assets held in banks and other financial institutions.
Stablecoin revenue was $171.6 million versus $145.7 million last year, Coinbase said. (Reporting by Niket Nishant and Sri Hari N S in Bengaluru; Editing by Shinjini Ganguli and Anil D’Silva)
