OceanPal Raises $120M for SovereignAI to Leverage NEAR Blockchain in Privacy AI

• OceanPal raises $120 million via private investment to fund SovereignAI’s launch and crypto treasury strategy.

• The partnership with NEAR Foundation emphasizes universal AI sovereignty through secure, decentralized AI applications.

• NEAR Protocol supports AI agents with secure asset management and cross-network operations, as per project documentation, amid a 10,000% surge in AI-related transaction activity on platforms like Coinbase.

Discover how OceanPal’s $120M SovereignAI launch on NEAR Protocol advances privacy-focused AI with blockchain. Explore token exposure and leadership changes. Stay ahead in crypto-AI integration today.

What is SovereignAI on the NEAR Protocol?

SovereignAI represents a groundbreaking initiative by Nasdaq-listed OceanPal Inc., utilizing the NEAR Protocol to commercialize advanced AI infrastructure. Announced on a Tuesday in 2025, this new subsidiary stems from a $120 million private investment in public equity deal, aiming to build privacy-preserving AI systems powered by NEAR’s layer-1 blockchain and NVIDIA’s cutting-edge technology. The project offers investors direct exposure to the NEAR token through a strategic crypto treasury that plans to acquire up to 10% of its circulating supply.

How Does the Partnership with NEAR Foundation Enhance AI Sovereignty?

The collaboration between SovereignAI and the NEAR Foundation is rooted in a shared commitment to “universal AI sovereignty,” enabling AI systems to operate independently and securely without centralized control. NEAR Protocol, launched in 2020, serves as a scalable layer-1 blockchain designed specifically for AI applications, allowing autonomous AI agents to interact seamlessly, manage digital assets, and execute transactions across networks while maintaining high levels of privacy and security.

According to the NEAR project’s official documentation, this infrastructure supports AI agents in performing complex tasks like asset verification and decision-making in decentralized environments. The integration with NVIDIA technology further bolsters computational capabilities, ensuring efficient processing for AI models that prioritize data privacy. This setup positions SovereignAI as a pioneer in merging blockchain’s transparency with AI’s autonomy.

Leadership changes at OceanPal underscore the project’s strategic direction. The company appointed Sal Ternullo, a former State Street executive, as co-CEO, and David Schwed, with prior experience at BNY Mellon, Galaxy, and Robinhood, as chief operating officer. These hires bring deep financial and operational expertise to drive SovereignAI’s growth. Additionally, NEAR Foundation co-founder and CEO Illia Polosukhin has joined the SovereignAI advisory board, alongside notable figures like Richard Muirhead from Fabric Ventures and Lukasz Kaiser from OpenAI, providing invaluable guidance on AI-blockchain synergies.

Frequently Asked Questions

What Funding Mechanism Did OceanPal Use for SovereignAI’s Launch?

OceanPal Inc. secured $120 million through a private investment in public equity (PIPE) deal to establish SovereignAI. This funding supports the subsidiary’s focus on NEAR Protocol commercialization and AI infrastructure development, creating a public investment avenue for NEAR token exposure without traditional stock dilutions.

How Are AI Agents Integrating with Blockchain Networks Like NEAR Protocol?

AI agents on networks like NEAR Protocol function as autonomous entities that perceive environments, make decisions, and execute actions independently, using blockchain for secure asset management and transaction verification. This integration allows agents to operate as self-governing participants in economic systems, enhancing efficiency in areas like financial markets and decentralized applications.

The Rise of AI Agents in Crypto

AI agents, defined as autonomous systems capable of perceiving, deciding, and acting without constant human oversight, are rapidly converging with cryptocurrency ecosystems. These agents leverage blockchain networks such as NEAR Protocol to handle digital assets, authenticate operations, and function as independent economic actors in decentralized markets.

According to insights from John D’Agostino, head of institutional strategy at Coinbase, shared during a CNBC Squawk Box appearance in September 2024, cryptocurrencies are essential for AI agents to thrive in financial sectors, providing the necessary infrastructure for trustless interactions. This perspective highlights how blockchains like NEAR enable secure, verifiable actions that traditional systems cannot match.

Further illustrating this trend, Cloudflare, a prominent global cloud infrastructure provider, revealed in September 2024 plans to introduce a stablecoin named NET Dollar. This asset is tailored to facilitate instantaneous transactions initiated by AI agents, streamlining cross-border and real-time payments in AI-driven economies.

Recent analytics from Dune Analytics indicate a remarkable surge in activity for Coinbase’s AI-ready payments protocol, which debuted in May 2024 to enable autonomous agents to handle stablecoin transfers online. Transaction volume on this protocol skyrocketed by over 10,000% in the preceding month, reflecting explosive demand for AI-crypto interfaces. This growth follows comments from two Coinbase developers in August 2024, who predicted that AI agents would emerge as Ethereum’s most significant users, a trend likely extending to protocols like NEAR.

Source: Ethereum Foundation

These developments underscore the transformative potential of AI agents in crypto. By combining NEAR’s scalable architecture with advanced AI, SovereignAI is poised to address key challenges in privacy and sovereignty. Experts emphasize that such integrations not only enhance security but also democratize access to AI technologies, allowing broader participation in the digital economy.

The NEAR Protocol’s design principles, including sharding for high throughput and developer-friendly tools, make it particularly suited for AI workloads. SovereignAI’s treasury strategy, committing to substantial NEAR token holdings, signals strong confidence in the protocol’s long-term viability. As AI adoption accelerates, initiatives like this could redefine how decentralized technologies support intelligent systems.

Broader market data supports this momentum. According to reports from authoritative sources like the Blockchain Association, AI-blockchain fusions are projected to drive significant innovation in sectors ranging from finance to supply chain management by 2026. SovereignAI’s focus on privacy-preserving infrastructure aligns with regulatory trends emphasizing data protection in AI deployments.

Key Takeaways

• OceanPal’s $120M Investment: Fuels SovereignAI’s creation, integrating NEAR Protocol for AI infrastructure and offering NEAR token exposure via a crypto treasury holding up to 10% of supply.
• Leadership and Advisory Expertise: New executives from State Street and BNY Mellon, plus advisors like Illia Polosukhin, strengthen SovereignAI’s strategic positioning in AI-crypto convergence.
• AI Agents’ Blockchain Role: NEAR enables secure, autonomous operations for AI agents, amid surging transaction activity that highlights the sector’s growth potential.

Conclusion

OceanPal Inc.’s launch of SovereignAI on the NEAR Protocol marks a pivotal step in blending AI infrastructure with blockchain technology, emphasizing privacy and sovereignty through partnerships with the NEAR Foundation and NVIDIA. With a robust crypto treasury strategy and expert leadership, this initiative provides investors with meaningful exposure to NEAR tokens while advancing decentralized AI applications. As the crypto-AI landscape evolves, SovereignAI stands ready to shape a future where autonomous systems drive innovation securely and efficiently—explore these opportunities to stay at the forefront of technological progress.