Valory’s Decentralized AI Agents Aim to Bring Transparency and Control to DeFi Investors originally appeared on TheStreet.
AI agents are quickly becoming integral to how businesses manage portfolios, automate workflows, and navigate digital markets. But most of today’s tools — from ChatGPT to private analytics stacks — leave users exposed to platform risks, hidden logic, and limited control.
Valory, a Zurich-based company building on the Olas protocol, is offering a decentralized alternative. The company’s open-source agents combine machine learning models with smart contracts and crypto wallets, enabling users to operate AI-driven strategies across DeFi, prediction markets, and marketing — without relying on black-box infrastructure.
“We launched Olas so that people could truly own their AI,” said David Diez, CEO of Valory. “That means owning the models, the logic, and the economics.”
Valory’s platform targets high-net-worth individuals and institutions that want more than generic SaaS offerings. Rather than outsourcing sensitive tasks like portfolio optimization or campaign automation, Diez says firms can now control how their AI behaves, where it operates, and how it handles assets.
“How much of your stack do you want to own?” Diez asked. “For core business functions, it’s not just about cost — it’s about sovereignty over data and margin.”
The agents, licensed under Apache 2.0, can be customized or reused for various use cases. Valory currently supports integration with more than 50 DeFi protocols, including Aave and Uniswap, and has reached $400 million in locked value as of Q4 2024, according to company posts on X.
Security remains a central concern for institutional adoption. Valory’s agents include built-in guardrails and operate with support from Safe, a widely used multi-signature wallet provider. These controls limit agents to predefined actions — such as caps on transaction size or protocol access — reducing the likelihood of errant behavior.
Users retain full custody over their funds via wallets like MetaMask or Trust Wallet. Valory also supports MPC (multi-party computation) wallets, splitting key access for added redundancy. “You can pull the plug on the agent anytime,” Diez said.
Valory’s stack is fully open-source and publicly audited, which the company believes is essential for attracting TradFi investors who require end-to-end transparency.
