Coinbase CEO Suspected of Conflict of Interest Over RSC Token Listing
Date: 2025-08-01 Author: Oliver Abernathy Categories: BUSINESS
ResearchHub, which positions itself as a "GitHub for scientists", allows you to publish scientific papers and receive rewards in RSC tokens for participating in discussions and disseminating knowledge. One of the founders of this project is Brian Armstrong, who also heads Coinbase. In 2023, ResearchHub raised $5 million in investments, including Open Source Software Capital and Boost VC, which invested an additional $2 million.
On July 25, 2025, Coinbase announced plans to add the RSC token to its exchange. Many users noted that the listing happened quite late, given the long existence of the coin. Following the announcement, the price of the token, launched in 2022, rose by 15%, reaching $0.74 and a capitalization of about $85 million.
Coinbase itself and Armstrong were quick to deny suspicions of a conflict of interest. The company emphasized that ResearchHub is an independent organization, and the head of the exchange does not participate in decisions on the listing of assets. All cryptocurrencies undergo a thorough review by a special group, the Digital Asset Support Group (DASG), of which Armstrong is not a member and whose decisions he does not influence.
The CEO also noted that he notified the Coinbase board of directors in advance of his connection with ResearchHub, adhering to accepted transparency standards. He emphasized that the RSC token was created by the ResearchHub Foundation and serves to reward community members.
However, skeptics continue to have doubts. They point out that DASG is part of Coinbase, which ultimately reports to the CEO. This, according to critics, calls into question the objectivity of the listing decision. Some users consider the official explanations more of a PR stunt than a sincere explanation.
In response, Armstrong recalled his public promise from 2022 not to sell RSC tokens for four years. He noted that the listing could affect the price of the asset due to the limited supply, causing fluctuations that do not always reflect the real value of the coin. Now there are only a few months left until the end of this period.
Earlier in January 2025, the head of Coinbase proposed a new approach to listing, noting that about a million new tokens are created weekly, and it is impractical to evaluate each one individually.
As a result, although Coinbase officially excludes a conflict of interest, discussions and questions continue around the RSC listing, which remain unanswered.
