Sean Neville’s New Startup Catena Labs Raises $18 Million to Build the AI Bank of the Future!

Jakarta, Pintu News – Sean Neville, co-founder of Circle, has announced that his latest startup, Catena Labs, has raised $18 million in a seed funding round. The funds will be used to develop a bank that operates entirely on artificial intelligence (AI).

Check out the full information here!

Catena Labs Funding and Vision

Catena Labs, founded by Sean Neville along with Matt Venables, has managed to attract attention and investment from some big names in the tech and finance industry. Andreessen Horowitz through their crypto division led this funding round. Other investors include Breyer Capital, Circle Ventures, Coinbase Ventures, and NFL legend Tom Brady.

The funding involves not only equity but also token warrants, which give rights to a crypto that the company has yet to launch. The company began as a venture studio founded by Neville and Venables in 2021. They focus on emerging technologies such as AI and decentralized identity.

In 2023, along with the increasing popularity of AI applications such as OpenAI’s ChatGPT, Catena Labs decided to fully focus on building a customized infrastructure for AI-driven finance.

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AI Integration in Financial System

Catena Labs is developing software that integrates AI with financial systems, with a focus on payment automation and digital identity protocols. According to Neville, the company’s vision is to create a genuine AI-based bank, where financial transactions are increasingly managed by AI agents.

This marks a step forward in the way humans interact with financial services. While Catena Labs has not detailed a full product roadmap, they have developed an open-source protocol for AI-powered payments and identity verification.

Neville emphasized that the system they are developing may incorporate blockchain and stablecoins such as USDC Coin (USDC) where beneficial, but will not be limited to those technologies.

Also read: 4 major factors that could push XRP price up 5x by 2025!

Speculation and the Future of Catena Labs

The startup is still in its early stages with a team of nine people and has yet to announce a product launch schedule or token launch. Neville also declined to disclose the company’s valuation.

On the other hand, speculation is growing regarding the possible acquisition of Circle, Neville’s former company, by Coinbase, which co-founded USDC and has close ties to Circle’s operations. Although IPO plans are still ongoing, Circle has reportedly been in informal sales talks and is seeking a valuation of $5 billion.

This shows the fast-changing dynamics in the digital finance industry, where new companies such as Catena Labs may play an important role in defining the future of finance.

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Reference

• Crypto News. Circle Cofounder Raises $18M for AI-Native Banking Startup Catena Labs. Accessed on May 21, 2025
• Cointelegraph. Catena Labs Raises $18M, AI-Native Financial Institution. Accessed on May 21, 2025
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