Catena Labs, an agent finance startup co-founded by Circle co-founder Sean Neville, raised $30 million in a Series A round co-led by a16z Crypto.
The Block recently reported Catena Labs will use the funding to speed up the buildout of banking infrastructure compatible with AI agents.
a16z Crypto’s Chris Dixon and Elizabeth Hukaby said Catena is building a new category of regulated financial infrastructure designed for autonomous software. Catena also completed an $18 million seed round in 2025 led by a16z Crypto.
Catena is building a governance layer for AI agent transactions. It supports letting people set spending limits, designate approved recipients, set caps on account balances and keep audit records, then leave financial execution to agents.
Catena also filed an application with the U.S. Office of the Comptroller of the Currency for a national trust bank charter. If approved, Catena will become a regulated custodian for AI agents. The Block said this would lay the groundwork for companies and individuals to conduct autonomous financial operations within a compliance framework.
a16z explained that agents need bank accounts and payment methods that can be accessed programmatically, along with clear rules and control mechanisms that keep humans in control.