Mantle Network Unveils AI Upgrade Amid Token Slump

- Mantle Network launches ERC-8004 to integrate AI agents into finance. - MNT token drops 4-5% despite technological milestone. On February 16, 2026, Cryptopolitan reported that Mantle Network implemented the ERC-8004 standard on its mainnet. This milestone establishes a framework for integrating AI agents into both decentralized and traditional financial systems, while also tackling issues of trust and identity in high-stakes financial transactions. The ERC-8004 upgrade introduces three innovative on-chain registries to enhance transparency and reliability: a Reputation Registry to track performance history, an NFT-based Identity Registry for verification, and a Validation Registry offering cryptographic proofs of work. Together, these components solve the "visibility crisis," a pressing challenge for AI agents in regulated markets. Mantle’s Head of Product, Joshua Cheong, highlighted the standard's potential to create a "verifiable workforce" of AI agents that can address compliance, liquidity, and settlement challenges at scale. Cheong anticipates the innovation will encourage institutional adoption and further enrich Mantle Network’s diverse ecosystem of key blockchain partners. The rollout earned praise from industry leaders, including Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin, who emphasized the standard's contribution to deeper decentralization. He noted that ERC-8004 enables trustless interaction among AI agents, which paves the way for functionalities like decentralized API authorization and automated bot-to-bot agreements. Buterin described the advancement as crucial for the development of blockchain-based AI ecosystems. However, the announcement coincided with a 4-5% drop in the Mantle (MNT) token price, as broader market trends likely overshadowed the milestone’s significance. Despite the initial dip, Mantle (MNT) was trading at $0.636 as of 15:09 UTC on February 16, reflecting a 0.692% increase over the last 24 hours. According to CoinMarketCap data, the token's 24-hour trading volume had also decreased by 37.372%.