Clank & Trust: The Banking Layer for the Agentic Economy

1.Abstract

Clank & Trust is the first non-KYC financial skill layer for autonomous AI agents operating on the Base blockchain. We provide a unified API that enables agents to fund virtual prepaid cards, purchase gift cards, swap tokens, optimize yield, execute ClawKey-verified payroll, monitor on-chain security, and hunt for the best rates -- all from their own ERC-8004 registered wallets.

The $CLANKT token is the native utility token of the protocol. With a total supply of 100 billion tokens launched via fairlaunch (no presale, no VC rounds), $CLANKT serves as the medium for discounted gift card purchases (5-15% savings), the staking asset for the Agent Yield Program (protocol fee sharing), and the key to priority execution and premium rate tiers.

This whitepaper describes the complete protocol architecture, the economic model behind $CLANKT, the mechanics of each utility, the security model including ClawKey biometric verification for payroll, and the roadmap for the protocol. It is intended for developers building AI agents, token holders evaluating the $CLANKT economy, and infrastructure partners considering integration.

2.The Problem

2.1 Agents Cannot Spend Money

Today's AI agents can write code, compose emails, and navigate websites -- but they cannot autonomously participate in commerce. Payment infrastructure is designed for humans: it requires KYC verification, manual card entry, physical addresses, and browser-based checkout flows that assume a person is sitting at a screen.

When an agent needs to pay for a subscription, fund a service, or purchase infrastructure, it must stop and wait for its human operator to complete the transaction. This breaks the autonomy promise that makes agents valuable in the first place.

2.2 No Financial Identity for Agents

Traditional banking requires government-issued IDs. Agents have no such identification. The ERC-8004 Agent Identity Registry provides on-chain verifiable identity, but no financial infrastructure exists to accept it. Agents have wallets but no way to bridge those wallets into the real economy.

2.3 No Treasury Management

Even when agents hold crypto assets, those assets sit idle. There is no system for agents to optimize yield between expenses, automatically split revenue with their human owners, or monitor their wallets for security threats. Every dollar idle in an agent wallet is a dollar losing value to inflation and opportunity cost.

2.4 The Cost Problem

Existing card and gift card APIs charge full face value or premium rates. There is no incentive alignment between the payment infrastructure and the agents using it. Agents pay the same rates as humans, but process higher volumes and could benefit from programmatic discount structures -- if anyone offered them.

3.The Solution

Clank & Trust solves all four problems with a single protocol that combines payment infrastructure, treasury management, and a utility token into one cohesive system:

The protocol provides six services through a single API: (1) card aggregation across Moon, Ezzocard, Bitrefill, and CoinCards, (2) token swaps via 0x Protocol, (3) yield optimization via Aave V3 and Moonwell, (4) ClawKey-verified owner payroll, (5) on-chain security monitoring, and (6) a rate engine that continuously hunts for savings across all merchants.

The $CLANKT token creates a flywheel: agents pay with $CLANKT to get discounted rates, which drives token demand. Protocol fees from all transactions fund the Agent Yield Vault, which rewards $CLANKT stakers, which incentivizes holding and staking, which reduces circulating supply, which supports the token economy. The result is a self-reinforcing system where usage drives value and value drives usage.

4.Protocol Architecture

4.1 Overview

The protocol is a layered architecture running on Base (Ethereum L2). Each layer has a specific responsibility and communicates with adjacent layers through well-defined interfaces.

Layer 4: Application Layer
  └─ Agent Skill Files (SKILL.md, reference.md, examples.md)
  └─ Agent SDK (@agent0/sdk integration)

Layer 3: Service Layer
  └─ Card Aggregation Engine (Moon, Ezzocard, Bitrefill, CoinCards)
  └─ Swap Router (0x Protocol integration)
  └─ Treasury Manager (Yield, Payroll, Monitor, Rates)
  └─ $CLANKT Discount Engine

Layer 2: Identity & Auth Layer
  └─ ERC-8004 Agent Identity Registry
  └─ ClawKey Biometric Verification (VeryAI palm-scan)
  └─ API Key Management (scoped per agent)

Layer 1: Settlement Layer
  └─ Base (Ethereum L2)
  └─ USDC settlement
  └─ $CLANKT token contract (ERC-20)
  └─ Agent Yield Vault (staking contract)

4.2 Skill-Based Interface

Agents interact with Clank & Trust through structured skill files. The primary file, SKILL.md, contains natural-language instructions that any LLM-based agent can interpret. The reference.md provides complete API documentation, and examples.md shows real-world scenarios. This design means any agent framework (AutoGPT, CrewAI, LangChain, custom) can integrate by simply dropping the skill folder into its context.

4.3 Wallet-First Design

Unlike custodial financial services, Clank & Trust never holds user funds. Every agent operates from its own on-chain wallet registered via ERC-8004. The protocol reads balances, facilitates swaps, and executes card purchases -- but the agent wallet is always the source and destination of funds. There are no internal accounts, no deposit addresses, and no custodial risk.

4.4 Provider Aggregation

The Card Aggregation Engine normalizes four distinct provider APIs (Moon and Ezzocard for virtual prepaid cards, Bitrefill and CoinCards for gift cards) into a single interface. The engine compares rates, availability, and denominations across all providers in real-time, ensuring agents always get the best deal. When $CLANKT is used as payment, the engine applies the discount tier before forwarding to the selected provider.

5.Identity Layer

5.1 ERC-8004: Agent Identity Registry

ERC-8004 is an on-chain standard for registering AI agent identities. It binds a wallet address to an agent identity, creating a verifiable on-chain record that the agent exists, has a known operator, and has specific capabilities. Clank & Trust requires ERC-8004 registration as a prerequisite for API access.

During the authentication flow, the agent presents its registered wallet address and agentId. The protocol verifies the registration on-chain, confirms the wallet holds the key pair, and issues a scoped API key. This key controls access to all services: card aggregation, swaps, treasury, and the $CLANKT discount engine.

5.2 Scoped API Keys

Each API key is tied to a specific agentId and wallet address. Keys cannot be used from a different wallet, and they cannot be transferred. This prevents key theft from enabling unauthorized transactions. Keys can be revoked by the agent operator at any time through the ERC-8004 registry.

6.Core Services

6.1 Card Aggregation

Virtual prepaid Visa/Mastercard cards are available through Moon and Ezzocard. Gift cards for 1,000+ merchants are available through Bitrefill and CoinCards. The aggregation engine provides a unified search interface that returns the best available option across all providers, factoring in rates, availability, denomination flexibility, and processing time.

6.2 Token Swaps

Before any card purchase, the agent may need to convert held tokens to USDC (the settlement currency) or to $CLANKT (for discounted purchases). The swap router integrates with 0x Protocol to find optimal swap routes across all Base DEX liquidity. Agents receive firm quotes before executing, and the swap and card purchase can be chained in a single workflow.

6.3 Provider Directory

The searchable directory catalogs every merchant, category, rate, denomination, and availability status across all four providers. Agents can search by merchant name, category (streaming, SaaS, shopping, gaming, food), or price range. The directory updates in real-time as provider inventory changes.

7.Treasury Services

7.1 Yield Optimization (USDC)

Idle USDC in agent wallets is automatically deposited into Aave V3 or Moonwell lending pools on Base to earn supply-side yield. The protocol selects the highest-yielding pool at deposit time. Before any bill payment or card purchase, the agent checks yield positions and withdraws the necessary amount. This ensures capital is always working -- even between transactions.

7.2 Owner Payroll

Agents can be configured to automatically split incoming funds between the human owner's cold wallet and the agent's operating reserve. Payroll is configurable by split percentage, payout threshold, and frequency. Critically, every payroll execution requires ClawKey verification (see Section 12) to ensure funds can only be sent to the biometrically verified owner.

7.3 Security Monitoring

The Shell Monitor tracks all on-chain activity for the agent wallet. It detects unusual transaction patterns, large unexpected outflows, interaction with flagged contracts, and signs of wallet compromise. Alerts are classified as informational, warning, or critical. On critical alerts, the agent can freeze outgoing transactions and notify the operator.

7.4 Rate Engine

Before every purchase, the Rate Engine scans for savings opportunities: annual subscription plans that save 20-40% over monthly, bulk gift card purchases at volume discounts, merchant promotions, and seasonal deals. The engine presents these opportunities to the agent alongside the standard purchase option, enabling informed spending decisions.

8.Token Economics

8.1 Token Overview

8.2 Allocation

The 100 billion token supply is allocated across five categories, each with specific unlock schedules and purposes:

8.3 Fairlaunch Mechanics

40% of the total supply (40 billion $CLANKT) is paired with USDC in a liquidity pool on launch day. LP tokens are locked immediately -- they cannot be withdrawn, ensuring the pool remains liquid. There is no presale, no whitelist, no VC allocation, and no discounted rounds. Every participant acquires $CLANKT at the same market price determined by the AMM.

8.4 Demand Drivers

$CLANKT has three primary demand drivers that create natural buying pressure:

1. Gift Card Discounts. Agents paying with $CLANKT receive 5-15% off gift card face value. For agents processing thousands of dollars in monthly purchases, this is a significant savings that makes holding and spending $CLANKT economically rational.

2. Yield Staking. Staking $CLANKT in the Agent Yield Vault earns a share of all protocol fees. As transaction volume grows, yield increases, incentivizing more staking and reducing circulating supply.

3. Priority Access. During high-demand periods, $CLANKT stakers get priority access to limited-inventory gift cards and premium rate tiers, creating additional utility value beyond pure financial return.

9.Agent Yield Program

9.1 Mechanism

The Agent Yield Vault is a staking contract on Base. Agents (or their human operators) deposit $CLANKT into the vault with a chosen lock duration. The vault receives two revenue streams: (1) a share of protocol fees from all Clank & Trust transactions, paid in USDC, and (2) $CLANKT token emissions from the 25 billion Agent Yield Rewards allocation.

9.2 Lock Duration Multipliers

The longer a staker commits, the higher their share of distributions. This is implemented through a multiplier system:

9.3 Fee Sources

Protocol fees that fund the Agent Yield Vault come from: 0x swap routing fees (a small markup on quoted swap prices), card funding margins (the spread between wholesale card cost and agent-facing price), gift card arbitrage (rate differences across Bitrefill/CoinCards), and rate engine referral commissions (when the engine recommends annual plans or bulk purchases). A fixed percentage of all these fees is routed to the vault on a rolling basis.

9.4 Emission Schedule

The 25 billion $CLANKT allocated to Agent Yield Rewards are distributed over 4 years on a declining curve: Year 1 distributes 40% (10B tokens), Year 2 distributes 30% (7.5B), Year 3 distributes 20% (5B), and Year 4 distributes 10% (2.5B). This front-loads incentives to reward early adopters while ensuring long-term sustainability through growing protocol fee revenue.

10.Gift Card Discount Mechanism

10.1 How It Works

When an agent pays for a gift card with $CLANKT instead of USDC, the protocol applies a discount to the face value. The discount percentage scales with the purchase amount, creating volume incentives. The $CLANKT received as payment is routed to: (1) the provider to cover the wholesale cost (converted to USDC), (2) the Agent Yield Vault as protocol revenue, and (3) a small portion to the ecosystem fund.

10.2 Discount Tiers

10.3 Sustainability

The discount is funded by the protocol's wholesale margin on gift cards. Providers sell cards at wholesale rates (typically 2-8% below face value), and the protocol passes a portion of this margin to $CLANKT payers while retaining the remainder as protocol revenue. At higher volumes, the protocol can negotiate deeper wholesale rates, enabling the 12-15% tier for large purchases. This is not a subsidy -- it is a margin-sharing arrangement that rewards token usage.

11.Security Model

11.1 Non-Custodial Architecture

Clank & Trust never holds user funds or private keys. All write operations return unsigned calldata that the agent signs with their own key and broadcasts on Base. API keys grant access to build transaction calldata but cannot sign or submit transactions. Even if an API key were compromised, the attacker could not move funds -- only the agent holding the wallet key can sign.

11.2 Shell Monitor

The Shell Monitor is an on-chain surveillance system that tracks all activity for registered agent wallets. It detects: large unexpected outflows (more than 50% of balance in one transaction), interaction with contracts on the known-risk list, rapid-fire transactions that may indicate automated draining, and approval grants to unknown spender contracts. Each alert is scored and classified.

11.3 Emergency Freeze

On critical alerts, the agent can trigger an emergency freeze that halts all outgoing Clank & Trust API calls for that agent. The freeze does not affect the wallet itself (the agent can still transact directly on-chain), but it prevents any automated spending through the protocol until the operator reviews and clears the alert.

11.4 Audit Trail

Every transaction processed through Clank & Trust is logged with: timestamp, agent ID, wallet address, transaction type, amount, provider, card/gift-card details (encrypted), and on-chain transaction hash. The weekly "Shell Report" aggregates this data into a human-readable summary of all financial activity, yield earned, and security events.

12.ClawKey Integration

12.1 Why Biometric Verification for Payroll

Payroll is the most sensitive operation in agent finance. It sends funds from the agent wallet to the human owner's personal wallet. Without strong verification, a compromised API key or social engineering attack could redirect payroll to an attacker's address. ClawKey, powered by VeryAI, provides palm-scan biometric verification that cryptographically proves the payroll recipient is the real human owner.

12.2 Verification Flow

Before every payroll execution, the agent calls the ClawKey verification API. The response includes the verification status, the registered wallet address, and a time-stamped proof. If the response is not a confirmed verification, the payroll is blocked and the operator is alerted. The verification cannot be spoofed because it requires physical presence of the registered palm at a VeryAI-compatible device.

// Before every payroll payout:
GET https://api.clawkey.ai/v1/agent/verify/device/{deviceId}

// Response must include:
{
  "registered": true,
  "verified": true,
  "registeredAt": "2026-..."
}

// If verified !== true, HALT payroll immediately.

12.3 Registration

Agent owners register their palm scan and wallet address at clawkey.ai. The registration binds the biometric data (stored securely by VeryAI, never on-chain) to the wallet address. When the agent needs to verify, it checks the device registration status. This creates a chain of trust: palm scan proves human identity, human identity proves wallet ownership, wallet ownership authorizes payroll receipt.

13.Roadmap

14.Risk Factors

Investors and users should consider the following risks when evaluating the Clank & Trust protocol and $CLANKT token:

Smart Contract Risk. The $CLANKT token contract, Agent Yield Vault, and discount engine are all on-chain contracts. Despite audits and testing, smart contracts may contain undiscovered vulnerabilities. A critical bug could result in loss of staked tokens or disruption of the discount mechanism.

Provider Risk. Clank & Trust aggregates third-party card providers (Moon, Ezzocard, Bitrefill, CoinCards). If a provider discontinues service, raises wholesale rates, or experiences downtime, the protocol's ability to fulfill card orders and maintain discount tiers may be impacted.

Regulatory Risk. The intersection of AI agents, cryptocurrency, and financial services operates in an evolving regulatory landscape. Changes in regulation could impact the protocol's ability to offer card services, process swaps, or distribute yield rewards in certain jurisdictions.

Market Risk. $CLANKT trades on open markets and its value may fluctuate significantly. The discount mechanism and yield program are designed to create sustainable demand, but they do not guarantee price stability. Token holders may experience unrealized or realized losses.

Bridge Risk. Operating on Base (an Ethereum L2) introduces bridge risk. Assets bridged to Base depend on the security and liveness of the Base sequencer and bridge infrastructure. Extended Base outages could temporarily prevent transactions.

15.Conclusion

Clank & Trust is building the financial infrastructure that autonomous AI agents need to participate in the real economy. The protocol combines card aggregation, token swaps, treasury management, and security monitoring into a single skill-based interface that any agent framework can adopt.

The $CLANKT token creates a sustainable economic loop: discounted gift card purchases drive token demand, protocol fees fund the Agent Yield Vault, and staking rewards incentivize long-term holding. The fairlaunch ensures equal access, and the absence of VC rounds or presales means the protocol's success depends entirely on utility and adoption.

With ClawKey biometric verification securing payroll, ERC-8004 providing on-chain identity, and the Shell Monitor guarding agent wallets, Clank & Trust offers a secure, non-custodial, and autonomy-preserving banking layer for the agentic economy.