Coinbase kicks off live trading competition with $150,000 on the line

Coinbase has turned perpetual futures trading into a spectator sport. Its in-person trading competition is now underway, and one trader will leave with $150,000 and the title of Coinbase Champion. The setting is a Singapore nightclub, not a trading floor. Apparently the exchange decided that if you are going to watch people stare at charts, you might as well add a DJ. The event, called Coinbase Champions, is the exchange’s first esports-style trading tournament held in real life. It lands in the middle of Token2049 week, when much of the crypto industry is already gathered in Singapore. How the competition works Ten well-known crypto traders are competing live on Coinbase Advanced, the exchange’s platform for more experienced users. They are trading perpetual futures for a prize pool totaling $150,000. Perpetual futures are contracts that let traders bet on where an asset’s price is headed without ever owning the asset, and unlike traditional futures, they have no expiry date. The schedule for October 8, 2026 was set in Singapore time. Doors opened at 7:30 PM SGT, with trading starting at 8:30 PM SGT. Taiki Maeda of Steady Labs is hosting the tournament. For viewers who could not g...