Sean Neville, co-founder of Circle and present CEO of Catena Labs, has launched a daring new enterprise aimed toward constructing a monetary system constructed particularly for the age of synthetic intelligence.
Catena Labs, the corporate behind the initiative, introduced on Might 20 that it had raised $18 million in a seed spherical led by Andreessen Horowitz’s crypto division. The purpose? Create a completely regulated monetary establishment the place AI brokers function alongside people in a system optimized for each pace and belief.
Neville believes the present monetary structure is ill-equipped for a future the place AI will drive nearly all of financial exercise. Conventional rails, he says, are too inflexible, pricey, and sluggish to accommodate AI-powered brokers conducting real-time transactions throughout international markets.
To handle this, Catena Labs is constructing a system the place AI can act as monetary contributors utilizing “AI-native” cash like stablecoins—particularly highlighting USDC for its low-cost, immediate transaction capabilities.
The agency additionally launched its first main open-source software, the Agent Commerce Equipment (ACK), a framework designed to confirm agent id and help safe transactions between people and AI.
The undertaking is rooted in a future the place digital brokers don’t simply help people—they execute commerce on their behalf, powered by cash that strikes at machine pace.
