Sean Neville, cofounder of stablecoin giant Circle, has raised $30 million in a Series A funding round for his startup Catena Labs, which develops tools enabling AI agents to safely conduct financial transactions, according to fortune.com. The round was led by Acrew Capital and Andreessen Horowitz’s crypto arm (a16z crypto), with participation from Breyer Capital, General Catalyst, and QED.
Catena Labs had previously raised $18 million in an initial round led by a16z crypto in 2025. Neville, who remains on Circle’s board, declined to disclose the valuation for the latest raise. Alongside the funding announcement, Catena Labs revealed it is applying for a national trust bank charter in New York from the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency. This regulatory move aims to allow the company to process payments and hold customers’ funds securely.
The funding and regulatory steps come as “agentic finance” gains traction in fintech, where AI agents are expected to autonomously handle financial tasks such as ordering groceries, paying subscriptions, and transferring money. Major players like Stripe and Visa have highlighted this trend, underscoring the potential for AI to transform payments and banking. Neville envisions that the majority of initial transactions on Catena Labs’ platform will be executed by AI agents, positioning the startup at the forefront of this emerging sector.
Catena Labs plans to leverage the new capital to advance its technology and regulatory approvals. The company’s pursuit of a national trust bank charter will be a key milestone to watch, as it seeks to establish a compliant framework for AI-driven financial services. This development could set a precedent for how AI agents interact with regulated financial systems.