Born in 2001 in Argentina simply because the nation started to expertise a devastating financial disaster, Amanu founder Gianluca Minoprio noticed firsthand how conventional banking methods can fail their customers. This expertise formed his mission to create a brand new sort of crypto pockets, one which goals to bridge the hole between conventional finance and blockchain expertise.
Recent off a number of wins on the Consensus 2024 hackathon in Texas final Might, Amanu is now difficult standard notions of what a crypto pockets must be (for those who’d like to use for the EasyA Hackathon at Consensus Hong Kong 2025, please go right here). The startup is creating a collection of options that stretch far past conventional pockets performance: customers will quickly have the ability to ship crypto funds by means of their keyboard by way of any messaging app, make contactless transfers by way of ultrasound expertise and handle transactions with out coping with fuel charges or having to decide on a blockchain.
One of many largest hurdles in crypto pockets adoption stays the complexity of seed phrases — the string of random phrases customers should safely retailer to get well their funds. This elementary problem has led Amanu to reimagine pockets safety past the non-custodial core. Amanu’s pockets makes use of biometric signatures, eliminating seed phrases totally.
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“The one technique to set off the signature is thru your authorization,” Minoprio explains. “The thrilling half about Amanu is that it could possibly be closed supply and also you’d nonetheless understand how the hot button is managed as a result of each time we wish to set off the important thing, it is advisable to settle for it.”
This represents a big departure from conventional wallets like MetaMask wherein non-public keys are saved on the software program stage. Nevertheless, questions stay about essential options reminiscent of pockets restoration if a tool is misplaced or broken — a vital consideration for any hardware-based biometric system.
A elementary shift?
The enlargement past core pockets options raises questions on the way forward for crypto funds. Is Amanu’s experimental method — combining messaging, contactless funds and simplified key administration — an indication that crypto’s distinctive properties require us to rethink digital wallets totally? Or will these options ultimately converge again to extra conventional pockets interfaces?
The venture’s title gives a clue to its ambitions. Derived from “amanuensis,” the title for a medieval monk that preserved data by copying texts, Amanu is supposed to function a bridge between advanced blockchain expertise and on a regular basis customers. “Right this moment’s trendy amanuenses are the blockchain builders as a result of we’re the few who know tips on how to learn and write inside [the blockchain],” explains Minoprio.
Within the crowded crypto pockets area, the place established gamers already command important person bases, Amanu’s success will depend upon whether or not its modern options really resolve person ache factors, or simply add pointless complexity. In consequence, the corporate’s growth method is ruthlessly user-focused. “If you happen to pitch the function to folks and they do not get enthusiastic about it, you may rapidly determine what to deal with or not,” notes Minoprio.
Seven months into growth, Amanu’s imaginative and prescient of constructing crypto funds “as straightforward as sending a textual content” is about to face its first main take a look at with the upcoming launch of its function enabling customers to ship crypto by way of textual content message. Whether or not this reimagining of the crypto pockets will resonate with mainstream customers stays to be seen, nevertheless it represents a daring experiment in pushing the boundaries of digital cost methods.
