Catena Labs Emerges with $18M Funding to Build AI-Native Financial Institution

May 21, 2025
Catena Labs, co-founded by Sean Neville, has secured $18 million in seed funding led by a16z crypto to develop the first AI-native financial institution.

Catena Labs has announced its emergence from stealth mode with plans to establish the first fully regulated AI-native financial institution, announced in a press release. The company has secured $18 million in seed funding led by a16z crypto, with participation from Breyer Capital, Circle Ventures, Coinbase Ventures, and others.

Co-founded by Sean Neville, who previously co-founded Circle Internet Group, Catena Labs aims to address the limitations of legacy financial systems in handling AI-driven commerce. The company is focused on creating financial infrastructure that supports agentic commerce, enabling AI agents to conduct economic transactions efficiently.

As part of its initial steps, Catena Labs has released an open-source project called the Agent Commerce Kit (ACK), which defines protocols and patterns for agentic commerce. The funding will be used to accelerate the development of their AI-native financial institution and its underlying technology, addressing new requirements for identity and payments in the AI economy.

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