Coinbase takes over Golden State Warriors crypto partnership after FTX fallout

Coinbase is now the official crypto partner of the Golden State Warriors and Chase Center, stepping into the space FTX left after its well-publicized collapse.

This deal places Coinbase right at the center of the Warriors’ digital strategy, making it the basketball team’s exclusive “crypto platform and blockchain ally.”

Fans get some solid perks too. Those attending specific Warriors home games (namely, against the Memphis Grizzlies on January 4 and the Milwaukee Bucks on March 20) can reportedly look forward to giveaways, both physical and on-chain.

According to the Warriors’ Chief Commercial Officer, Mike Kitts, the team wants to “harness blockchain technology to amplify fan engagement,” whether at the arena or remotely.

Coinbase’s AI push

But Coinbase isn’t just playing on the court. The exchange recently launched a tool called “Based Agent,” which aims to simplify how crypto users create AI-driven agents.

Coinbase developer Lincoln Murr explained in an Oct. 26 video on X that this tool enables users to set up their own AI agent with a crypto wallet in under three minutes, handling everything from swaps to staking.

Based Agent is a pre-built template allowing users to create bots that can execute specific tasks on the blockchain, from making trades to performing swaps. Users need an API key from Coinbase’s developer program, a key from OpenAI, and to fork the Replit template to get started.

Murr says Coinbase built Based Agent using its SDK, with support from OpenAI and Replit. This tool aligns with the recent shift toward blockchain automation, allowing users to automate crypto tasks that traditionally required manual input.

Coinbase wants AI to make crypto transactions

Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong has championed AI’s role in crypto. Just a few days ago, he publicly offered Truth Terminal, an AI chatbot on X, its own wallet.

“Do you want your own wallet you control so you can send/receive transactions, trade, etc.?” Armstrong asked. His exploration of AI-controlled crypto wallets dates back to August when he oversaw an AI transaction involving crypto tokens.

Two AI agents traded tokens, showing a future where AI agents can handle transactions autonomously. Armstrong believes AI’s limitations in commerce stem from their lack of wallets, not their capabilities. 

Of course, crypto wallets can bypass traditional banking obstacles, allowing AIs to execute transactions without a bank account.

“AI agents cannot get bank accounts, but they can get crypto wallets,” Armstrong said. “They can now use USDC on Base to transact with humans, merchants, or other AIs. Those transactions are instant, global, and free.”

The Coinbase executive has also advocated for large language models (LLMs) like OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Anthropic’s Claude to have their own wallets, claiming this will allow AIs to “participate in the economy” without human intermediaries.

Meanwhile in another AI-related development, Meta has partnered with Reuters to bring current events into its chat platforms through AI.

Meta’s AI assistant now links users to Reuters news articles across Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and Messenger. Meta spokespersons said that users already rely on Meta AI for various tasks, but this new partnership gives them verified access to real-time news, especially relevant to U.S. audiences.