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COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES
12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2022
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]  
COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES
Indemnifications
In the event any registrable securities are included in a registration statement, the Company’s Amended and Restated Investors’ Rights Agreement (the “IRA”) entered into with certain of the Company’s stockholders provides indemnity to each stockholder, their partners, members, officers, directors, and stockholders, legal counsel, and accountants; each underwriter, if any; and each person who controls each stockholder or underwriter, against any damages incurred in connection with investigating or defending any claim or proceeding arising as a result of such registration from which damages may result. The Company will reimburse each such party for any legal and any other expenses reasonably incurred, provided that the Company will not be liable in any such case to the extent the damages arise out of or are based upon any actions or omissions made in reliance upon and in conformity with written information furnished by or on behalf of such stockholder or underwriter and stated to be specifically for use therein.
The Company also has indemnity agreements with certain officers and directors of the Company pursuant to which the Company must indemnify the officer or director against all expenses, judgments, fines, and amounts paid in settlement reasonably incurred in connection with a third party proceeding, if the indemnitee acted in good faith and in a manner reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the Company, and in the case of a criminal proceeding, had no reasonable cause to believe the indemnitee’s conduct was unlawful.
It is not possible to determine the maximum potential exposure under these indemnification agreements: (i) because the facts and circumstances involved in each claim are unique and the Company cannot predict the number or nature of claims that may be made; (ii) due to the unique facts and circumstances involved in each particular agreement; and (iii) due to the requirement for a registration of the Company’s securities before any of the indemnification obligations contemplated in the IRA become effective.
The Company has also provided indemnities or similar commitments on standard commercial terms in the ordinary course of business.
Legal and regulatory proceedings
The Company is subject to various litigation, regulatory investigations, and other legal proceedings that arise in the ordinary course of its business. The Company is also subject to regulatory oversight by numerous regulatory and other governmental agencies. The Company reviews its lawsuits, regulatory investigations, and other legal proceedings on an ongoing basis and provides disclosure and records loss contingencies in accordance with the loss contingencies accounting guidance. In accordance with such guidance, the Company establishes accruals for such matters when potential losses become probable and can be reasonably estimated. If the Company determines that a loss is reasonably possible and the loss or range of loss can be estimated, the Company discloses the possible loss in the consolidated financial statements.
In July and August 2021, three purported securities class actions were filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California against the Company, its directors, certain of its officers and employees, and certain venture capital and investment firms. The complaints alleged violations of Sections 11, 12(a)(2) and 15 of the Securities Act, in connection with the registration statement and prospectus filed in connection with the Direct Listing. In November 2021, these actions were consolidated and recaptioned as In re Coinbase Global Securities Litigation, and an amended complaint was filed. The plaintiff seeks, among other relief, unspecified compensatory damages, attorneys’ fees, and costs. The Company disputes the claims in these cases and is vigorously defending against them. Based on the preliminary nature of the proceedings in these cases, the outcome of these matters remain uncertain and the Company cannot estimate the potential impact, if any, on its business or financial statements at this time. The Company has subsequently received, and expects to receive in the future, similar shareholder claims.
In October 2021, a purported class action captioned Underwood et al. v. Coinbase Global, Inc., was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York against the Company alleging claims under Sections 5, 15(a)(1) and 29(b) of the Exchange Act and violations of certain California and Florida state statutes. On March 11, 2022, plaintiffs filed an amended complaint adding Coinbase, Inc. and Brian Armstrong as defendants and adding causes of action. Among other relief requested, the plaintiffs sought injunctive relief, unspecified damages, attorneys’ fees and costs. On February 1, 2023, the court dismissed all federal claims (with prejudice) and state law claims (without prejudice) against Coinbase Global, Inc., Coinbase, Inc. and Brian Armstrong. Subsequently, on February 9, 2023, the plaintiffs filed a notice of appeal of the District Court’s ruling. The Company and other defendants continue to dispute the claims in this case and intend to vigorously defend against them. Based on the nature of the proceedings in this case, the outcome of this matter remains uncertain and the Company cannot estimate the potential impact, if any, on its business or financial statements at this time.
In December 2021, a shareholder derivative suit captioned Shin v. Coinbase Global, Inc., was filed in New York state court against the Company and its directors, alleging breach of fiduciary duties, unjust enrichment, abuse of control, gross mismanagement, and waste of corporate assets, and seeking unspecified damages and injunctive relief. The Company has subsequently received, and expects to receive in the future, similar derivative claims. The Company disputes the claims in these cases and intends to vigorously defend against them. Based on the preliminary nature of the proceedings in these cases, the outcome of these matters remain uncertain and the Company cannot estimate the potential impact, if any, on its business or financial statements at this time.
During 2022, the Company’s subsidiary, Coinbase, Inc., which holds a BitLicense from the New York Department of Financial Services (“NYDFS”) and is therefore subject to examinations and investigations by the NYDFS, was subject to an investigation by the NYDFS relating to its compliance program including compliance with the Bank Secrecy Act and sanctions laws, cybersecurity, and customer support. In January 2023, the NYDFS announced a consent order focused on historical shortcomings in Coinbase, Inc.'s compliance program. Pursuant to the consent order, Coinbase, Inc. has paid a $50 million penalty in January 2023 and agreed to invest an additional $50 million in its compliance function by the end of 2024. The $50 million penalty was included in general and administrative expenses in the consolidated statements of operations for the year ended December 31, 2022, and in accrued expenses and other current liabilities in the consolidated balance sheets as of December 31, 2022.
The Company has received investigative subpoenas and requests from the SEC for documents and information about certain customer programs, operations, and existing and intended future products, including the Company’s processes for listing assets, the classification of certain listed assets, its staking programs, and its stablecoin and yield-generating products. Based on the ongoing nature of these matters, the outcomes remain uncertain and the Company cannot estimate the potential impact, if any, on its business or financial statements at this time.
The Company believes the ultimate resolution of existing legal and regulatory investigation matters will not have a material adverse effect on the financial condition, results of operations, or cash flows of the Company. However, in light of the uncertainties inherent in these matters, it is possible that the ultimate resolution of one or more of these matters may have a material adverse effect on the Company’s results of operations for a particular period, and future changes in circumstances or additional information could result in additional accruals or resolution in excess of established accruals, which could adversely affect the Company’s results of operations, potentially materially.
Tax regulation
Current promulgated tax rules related to crypto assets are unclear and require significant judgments to be made in interpretation of the law, including but not limited to the areas of income tax, information reporting, transaction level taxes and the withholding of tax at source. Additional legislation or guidance may be issued by U.S. and non-U.S. governing bodies that may differ significantly from the Company's practices or interpretation of the law, which could have unforeseen effects on the Company’s financial condition and results of operations, and accordingly, the related impact on the Company’s financial condition and results of operations is not estimable.