Roundtable launches USDC ad payment platform with Coinbase

Roundtable (Nasdaq: RTB) has launched its real-time DeFi and AI media payment platform, settling advertising payments in USDC through smart wallets linked to journalists' Coinbase accounts. The system integrates Coinbase's USDC payment infrastructure with Roundtable's enterprise Web3 media operating system, eliminating human intermediaries in the payment process.

The platform is designed to support a ten-year contract to migrate 21 major media brands, hundreds of journalists, and nearly 100 million viewers from a Web1 platform to Roundtable's Web3 ecosystem. This migration involves moving $100 million in advertising revenue away from manual fiat currency payments that can take 90 days or more to clear. The new system tracks and clears trillions of AI-monitored bids through dynamic DeFi smart wallets, which are already live in the United States with hundreds of journalists.

James Heckman, Founder and CEO of Roundtable, stated that USDC is no longer an abstract promise for commercial use, noting that the company is embracing DeFi and crypto banking to ensure journalists are fairly rewarded for value already created. He added that Coinbase provides the institutional infrastructure to finance and bank enterprise customers, while Roundtable's technology delivers immutability, transparency, and accuracy. John D'Agostino, Head of Institutional Strategy at Coinbase, described the transformation of payment cycles for independent journalists as one of the most compelling use cases for blockchain and cryptocurrency in upgrading the financial system.

Following the North American announcement, the MediaOS and Coinbase/Roundtable integration is being unveiled to the British press this week. Former UK Prime Minister and foreign secretary Liz Truss is leading the effort in London to offer major media brands the platform at no cost as part of a premium media coalition for European press. Truss joined Roundtable's Board of Directors on September 18th. She cited Great Britain's rich tradition of independent journalism and noted that professional media faces unprecedented technological and economic challenges from AI and global technology platforms.

Roundtable's Nasdaq-listed shares began trading on Coinbase as of today's opening. The company operates an enterprise media platform that handles distribution, publishing, monetization, community, syndication, and DeFi payment operations. The system was developed by co-founders Eyal Hertzog and James Heckman. Coinbase serves consumers, institutions through Coinbase Prime, and developers through the Coinbase Developer Platform, offering secure custody, deep exchange liquidity, stablecoin infrastructure, and global settlement rails.