Gemini Overtakes Coinbase on US App Store After XRP Rewards Card Launch with Mastercard

26/08/2025 admin

Key Takeaways:

Gemini jumped to 16th place in the US App Store’s finance category, overtaking Coinbase, which fell to 20th.
The surge followed Gemini’s launch of a limited-edition XRP rewards credit card with Ripple Labs and Mastercard, offering up to 4% cashback in XRP instantly.
Despite Coinbase reporting over 10x higher trading volumes, Gemini’s move highlights how consumer products and partnerships can shift user adoption.

Gemini, the crypto exchange founded by Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss, has overtaken Coinbase in the US Apple App Store finance rankings. The sudden leap came right after Gemini unveiled its XRP rewards credit card, developed in collaboration with Ripple Labs and Mastercard.

The card, which promises up to 4% cashback in XRP with no waiting period, has quickly caught the attention of crypto enthusiasts. This development signals how app store visibility and consumer incentives are becoming important battlegrounds for crypto exchanges beyond trading volumes alone.

Gemini Surpasses Coinbase in App Store Rankings

According to data from Sensor Tower, Gemini climbed to 16th place in Apple’s US finance app category, while Coinbase dropped to 20th.

The rankings matter because Coinbase consistently handles far larger volumes. Recent figures show Coinbase processed $4.5 billion in daily spot trading, compared with Gemini’s $382 million. Yet, the app store “flippening” suggests that consumer-facing products, particularly those tied to mainstream payment networks, can temporarily shift momentum.

Gemini co-founder Tyler Winklevoss celebrated the milestone on X, saying, “The flippening is accelerating.” His comment echoes a long-standing crypto narrative where smaller players challenge market leaders through innovation and niche positioning.

The XRP Rewards Card: A First-of-Its-Kind Offering

The XRP card itself is at the center of the surge. Built in partnership with Ripple Labs and Mastercard, it provides instant crypto rewards, a feature designed to differentiate it from other crypto credit cards that often require waiting periods before payouts.

Reward Rate: Up to 4% cashback in XRP
Format: Limited-edition metal card
Delivery: Rewards are added instantly at the point of transaction

Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse hailed the development, writing on X, “An XRP rewards credit card out in the world?! What a time to be alive, XRP family.”

This partnership also brings practical utility to XRP, which has long been positioned as a bridge asset for cross-border payments. By embedding XRP directly into a consumer rewards program, Gemini and Ripple are introducing a fresh use case at a time when many crypto projects are seeking to prove real-world adoption.

Competitive Landscape – Consumer Perks as a Growth Strategy

Traditionally, crypto exchanges compete with trading fees, liquidity and token listing. Nevertheless, this action by Gemini can be seen as an indication of the fight between consumer financial products, a way of competing over user acquisition.

Coinbase, as an example, can already provide its own crypto-debit card, but it has not yet made it linked to a single asset as it is now the case with the XRP with Gemini. This strategy is pursued by concentrating on a single token and taking advantage of the Mastercard network to attract users steamrolling on brand identity and community services.

Such a tactic resembles the strategies of fintech companies such as Cash App and Robinhood, which managed to attract millions of users to simple targeted financial products other than brokerage services.

Why the App Store Ranking Flip Matters

App Store rankings are influenced by downloads, retention, performance, and user reviews, according to platforms like AppTweak. A higher ranking will be satisfactory in the form of increased visibility by casual users in the finance category.

As far as Gemini is concerned, such visibility is a key win. Since Coinbase enjoys an overwhelming lead in the trading volume and market brand awareness, in particular because of its direct listing on Nasdaq, Gemini will have to rely on partnerships and other incentives to cut through into the market.

The XRP rewards card has given that much needed spark. Although the importance of Coinbase is likely to continue outpacing that of Gemini in the number of exchange transactions, the reverse ranking indicates the potential of consumer-oriented innovations to easily alter state of affairs in the marketplace.

The XRP card launch comes just weeks after Gemini filed with the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to list its Class A common stock on the Nasdaq under ticker GEMI.

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