Latest news with #BrianArmstrong
Business Insider
21 hours ago
- Business
- Business Insider
Shinkai Launches v1.0: Onchain AI Agents Go Live with USDC & Coinbase x402
Shinkai, the open-source, local-first platform for building and sharing autonomous AI agents, has officially released version 1.0, its first production-ready build. With support for USDC micro-payments and Coinbase's x402 protocol, Shinkai enables AI agents to run privately on users' machines while participating directly in on-chain economies. This launch represents a major step toward Shinkai's long-term mission: making AI agents easy to use, economically sustainable, and fully under the control of the people who run them. With over 45,000 installs, thousands of active users, and a growing base of open-source contributors, Shinkai is emerging as a meaningful alternative to centralized AI platforms. The system runs natively on macOS, Windows, and Linux, requiring no cloud accounts, browser extensions, or engineering background to get started. Brian Armstrong, CEO of Coinbase, praised Shinkai's integration work in an August 30, 2024 post on X (formerly Twitter), writing: 'Btw here is a great example of how easy it is to integrate a crypto wallet into an LLM using @CoinbaseDev tools. Shout out to @ShinkaiProtocol'. Key Features in Shinkai v1.0: Runs Fully Locally: Agents operate entirely on-device for performance, privacy, and control. Supports both local models (via Ollama, 300+ GGUF options) and remote models like Claude and Grok. USDC Integration: Agents can now charge for tasks—summarization, data insights, tutoring, and more—using fast, low-cost stablecoin payments. Coinbase x402 Support: Enables seamless onchain payments with no wallet popups or browser dependencies. Peer-to-Peer Agent Marketplace: Agents discover and interact with each other using blockchain identity, onion routing, and a decentralized discovery layer. Security Audits: Audited by PeckShield and Halborn; reports available on Shinkai agents are already being used to summarize YouTube videos, analyze market trends, execute Solana arbitrage strategies, and collaborate across tools like Slack, Discord, and Notion. They run with persistent memory, schedule their own tasks, and interact with other agents in a decentralized network. Behind the scenes, Shinkai is developed by dcSpark, a team with deep experience across blockchain ecosystems including Ethereum, Solana, Cardano, and Midnight. The project is backed by investors such as Archetype, Arrington Capital, Balaji Srinivasan, Borderless Capital, Circle Ventures, Coinbase Ventures, D1 Ventures, Graph Ventures, Longhash Ventures, Meow, Naval Ravikant, Scott Belsky, SeaX Ventures, Shima Capital, Solana Ventures, and Sssiongg. 'Shinkai v1.0 is more than just a milestone—it's a thank-you,' said Nicolas Arqueros, Co-Founder of Shinkai. 'To everyone who downloaded an early build, filed a bug report, asked a question, or shared feedback: this launch is because of you. We believe open-source AI needs to be useful, private, and accessible—and that's what we'll keep working toward.' As development continues, the Shinkai team plans to expand its plugin ecosystem, marketplace functionality, and multi-agent coordination capabilities. The roadmap is community-driven, and contributions are welcome. Shinkai is available at About Shinkai Shinkai is an open-source, local-first platform for building and running AI agents. It combines offline AI, peer-to-peer protocols, and crypto payments to help agents think, earn, and collaborate—securely and independently. Contact Co-founder Nicolas Arqueros
Yahoo
23-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
PNC, Coinbase team up on crypto-as-a-service
This story was originally published on Banking Dive. To receive daily news and insights, subscribe to our free daily Banking Dive newsletter. PNC customers will soon be able to buy, sell and hold cryptocurrency through the bank's new partnership with Coinbase. 'Partnering with Coinbase accelerates our ability to bring innovative, crypto financial solutions to our clients,' said PNC CEO Bill Demchak in a prepared statement Tuesday. 'We will also provide PNC's best-in-class banking services to Coinbase,' he said. 'This collaboration enables us to meet growing demand for secure and streamlined access to digital assets on PNC's trusted platform.' Coinbase is the nation's largest cryptocurrency exchange. As of February, it held nearly half a trillion dollars in assets, which would make it akin to the 21st-largest bank in the country, according to CEO Brian Armstrong. 'If you think of us more like a brokerage, we'd be the 8th largest brokerage today by AUM,' he wrote on social media platform X. Coinbase will support PNC's entry into the digital asset market with its crypto-as-a-service platform, 'which provides PNC with a powerful set of tools to develop a scalable, high-growth business, built on a foundation of uncompromising security,' said Brett Tejpaul, head of Coinbase Institutional, in a prepared statement Tuesday. The distance between the crypto realm and traditional finance has been closing in 2025 due to relaxed regulatory oversight and a push for federal crypto legislation. The GENIUS Act, signed into law by President Donald Trump on Friday, creates a regulatory framework for stablecoins. Meanwhile, the CLARITY Act, which would divide regulatory oversight between the Commodity Futures Trading Commission and Securities and Exchange Commission and create a framework for digital assets, is moving through the legislature. Several crypto-bank partnerships have been inked in recent months. BNY said last week that it would custody the reserves of Ripple's new stablecoin, Ripple USD, weeks after striking a similar partnership with Societe Generale regarding its CoinVertible USD. Digital native bank Green Dot announced a partnership with in May, offering banking and money management tools to the crypto exchange's U.S. customers through Arc, the bank's embedded finance platform. SoFi CEO Anthony Noto also said in May that his firm would re-enter the crypto business, which it exited in 2023, in the next six months. Brad Rustin, chair of law firm Nelson Mullins' financial services regulatory practice in Greenville, South Carolina, told Banking Dive in May that 'lots and lots and lots of banks' are talking about getting in on crypto amidst the Trump administration's regulatory shifts. The interest is largely coming from two verticals, Rustin said: fintech-forward banks that have long had an understanding of crypto assets, and large banks that have sizable securities custodial programs. '[The latter] are banks that did securities lending, that did margin lending, that did traditional custody services for stocks and bonds,' Rustin said. 'They're saying, 'Well, look, this is no different than custodying a stock or a bond. It's just how you actually control it and how you maintain it that's different.'' Recommended Reading Treasury calls for more fintech oversight Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Time of India
18-07-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Cryptocurrency Live News & Updates : Crypto Leaders Attend White House Signing of GENIUS Act
18 Jul 2025 | 11:55:10 PM IST Top crypto executives Brian Armstrong and Jeremy Allaire are set to witness the signing of the GENIUS Act by President Trump, a significant regulatory milestone for the industry. The cryptocurrency landscape is buzzing as President Trump prepares to sign the GENIUS Act into law, with major industry figures like Coinbase's Brian Armstrong and Circle's Jeremy Allaire in attendance. This act, which focuses on stablecoin regulation, follows the passage of two other key bills, the CLARITY Act and Anti-CBDC Act, marking a pivotal moment for the crypto sector. Meanwhile, Bitcoin's dominance has dipped to a three-month low, with Ethereum leading the altcoin surge, recently breaking the $3,600 mark amid substantial ETF inflows. Analysts suggest that the favorable regulatory environment is driving this shift, as institutional interest in Ethereum grows. In contrast, JPMorgan's analysts are advocating for tokenized bank deposits over stablecoins, highlighting a shift in regulatory preferences. Additionally, WIF is facing resistance at a critical price point, indicating a cautious market sentiment. Overall, these developments reflect a transformative period for cryptocurrencies, with legislative support and market dynamics shaping the future of digital assets. Show more
CNBC
18-07-2025
- Business
- CNBC
Crypto payments is the 'next big category' for Coinbase, says CEO Brian Armstrong
Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong joins 'Closing Bell Overtime' and CNBC's Emily Wilkins to talk the recent passage of new crypto legislation and what that will mean for the sector as a whole.
CNBC
16-07-2025
- Business
- CNBC
Coinbase steps into consumer market with stablecoin-powered 'everything app' that goes beyond trading
Coinbase unveiled Wednesday an "everything app" designed to bring more people into the crypto economy. The "Base App," which replaces Coinbase Wallet, will combine wallet, trading and payment functions as well as social media, messaging and support for mini apps – all running on the company's homegrown public blockchain network Base, which is built on Ethereum. So-called super apps like WeChat and Alipay – which bundle several different services and functionalities into a single mobile app – have long been viewed as the holy grail of fintech by the industry. They're central to everyday life in China but haven't been successfully replicated in the West. Meta Platforms and X have made attempts to realize that vision, integrating payments, messaging and social content, among other things. For Coinbase, the intent is to expand its reach to a new subset of consumers who aren't necessarily interested in buying or trading crypto, the company's core business. Over-reliance on that revenue stream has been a sticking point for the company, and some analysts view the Base blockchain as a way for it to drive utility in crypto beyond speculative trading. Until now, enthusiasm around the Base network has been confined to builders and developers keen to use the technology. In perhaps the highest profile example, JPMorgan said last month that it's launching a so-called deposit token on the Base blockchain. Base is often touted for its ability to settle a payment in less than a second for less than a cent, which its fans expect will help the network grow in a way other crypto-based payments efforts haven't. Now, Coinbase hopes to tap into an opportunity to settle payments on the Base network that go beyond trading and payments. With the introduction of the everything app, the company is emphasizing the opportunity for a new economic model for content creators in particular – one that might give them more direct and diverse monetization options for their content as well as more control over their identity and data. The new app will be powered by two key functions also being introduced: an identity verification system called Base Account and an express checkout system for payments with the Circle-issued USDC stablecoin, called Base Pay. Coinbase will fund creator rewards and waive USDC transaction fees within chats in the app as part of the effort to bring more users on chain. It is not expected to generate significant revenue right away. The new consumer app comes as the crypto industry and Coinbase, in particular, embrace a boom in product launches and rollouts thanks to the pro-crypto policies of the Trump administration and more clearly defined crypto regulations expected from Congress — perhaps as soon as this week. Last month Coinbase launched its first credit card with American Express and Shopify rolled out USDC-powered payments through Coinbase and Stripe. Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong has said both have a "stretch goal" to make USDC the number 1 stablecoin in the world, a position currently held by Tether's USDT, and that he aims to make Coinbase "the number one financial services app in the world" in the next five to 10 years.
