James Heckman, CEO of Roundtable (Nasdaq: RTB); John D'Agostino, Head of Institutional Strategy at Coinbase; and Eyal Hertzog, inventor of DeFi and co-founder of RTB
Instant settlement in USDC for journalists, on RTB’s decentralized, AI-reporting smart wallet network, connected to Roundtable’s “Media Liquidity Pool” and secured by Coinbase, empowering decentralized, independent journalism Platform unveiled in London.
LONDON, Sept. 23, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Roundtable (Nasdaq: RTB), an AI/DeFi-powered Enterprise MediaOS and marketplace, today announced that their DeFi/AI reporting and payment platform is live, integrated with Roundtable’s “Media Liquidity Pool,” and settling advertising payments in real time with USDC through smart wallets linked to journalists’ Coinbase accounts.
The platform combines Coinbase’s USDC payment infrastructure Coinbase accounts with RTB’s enterprise-level Web3 mediaOS and AI-driven smart wallet system. It requires no human intermediary, giving publishers and journalists full autonomy, transparency, and control of their IP, now rewarded in real time, while creating and connecting with their audience.
$100 Million ecosystem
Roundtable recently announced a ten-year contract to migrate 21 major media brands, hundreds of journalists, and nearly 100 million viewers consuming $100 million in advertising from a Web1 platform with manual fiat currency payments that can take 90 days or more, to “net-zero” on Roundtable’s Web3, AI-driven Media OS and DeFi payment platform. Already live in the U.S. with hundreds of journalists, the platform tracks and clears trillions of AI-monitored bids through dynamic DeFi smart wallets.
“USDC is no longer an abstract promise for commercial use. We are embracing DeFi and crypto banking, starting with journalists being fairly rewarded for value already created,” said James Heckman, Founder and CEO of Roundtable. “Coinbase provides the institutional infrastructure to finance and bank our enterprise customers, while Roundtable’s AI/DeFi technology delivers immutability, transparency and accuracy. Together, we demonstrate how decentralized finance and USDC can strengthen journalism and publishers.”
"Of the many ways blockchain and cryptocurrency are upgrading the financial system, few use cases are as compelling as transforming payment cycles for independent journalists. Coinbase is proud to support Roundtable's mission to revolutionize ad sales and help the next generation of journalists thrive," said John D’Agostino, Head of Institutional Strategy at Coinbase.
Global Media Coalition - European Discussions
Following the North American, 21 premium brand, $100 million consumer announcement, the MediaOS and Coinbase/Roundtable integration is being unveiled to the British press this week, led by former UK Prime Minister and foreign secretary, Liz Truss, as Roundtable CEO James Heckman joins Truss in London to offer major media brands the platform at no cost, as part of a premium media coalition for European press. On September 18th, Truss joined the Board of Directors of Roundtable.
"Great Britain has one of the world's richest traditions of independent journalism and most respected media brands. Yet professional media faces unprecedented technological and economic challenges, particularly from AI and global technology platforms," said Truss. "I'm honored to join Roundtable's distinguished technology leaders and senior media executives, offering the highest level of technology - purpose-built for human-led, professional media."
RTB Shares Now Trading on Coinbase
Coinbase is bridging traditional finance and crypto across banking, payroll, credit and trading. Roundtable is leveraging the full ecosystem, including RTB’s Nasdaq-listed shares now trading on Coinbase as of today’s opening.
About Roundtable (RTB Digital, Inc.)
Roundtable (NASDAQ: RTB) is an AI/DeFi-powered Enterprise Media Operating System, integrating distribution, publishing, monetization, community, syndication and DeFi payment operations, powering professional and major media brands. The Web3 platform was developed over years by digital pioneers and co-founders Eyal Hertzog and James Heckman.
For more information, visit rtb.io.
About Coinbase
Coinbase (Nasdaq: COIN) is on a mission to increase economic freedom in the world. The most trusted crypto platform, Coinbase stores more digital assets than any other company and is building the everything exchange — one place to access crypto, equities, derivatives, prediction markets, and more. Coinbase serves consumers through its suite of financial apps, institutions through Coinbase Prime, and developers through the Coinbase Developer Platform. Coinbase's full-stack platform was purpose-built to power the future of finance: secure custody, deep exchange liquidity, stablecoin infrastructure, and global settlement rails — all built on a decade-plus foundation of security and compliance.
Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
This press release includes information that constitutes forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. These forward-looking statements are based on the Company's current beliefs, assumptions and expectations regarding future events, which in turn are based on information currently available to the Company. Such forward-looking statements include statements that are characterized by future or conditional words such as "may," "will," "expect," "intend," "anticipate," "believe," "estimate," and "continue" or similar words. You should read statements that contain these words carefully because they discuss future expectations and plans, which contain projections of future results of operations or financial condition or state other forward-looking information. Such forward-looking statements include statements regarding the accretive transactions undertaken in 2026 and future operations and revenues of the company. By their nature, forward-looking statements address matters that are subject to risks and uncertainties. A variety of factors could cause actual events and results to differ materially from those expressed in or contemplated by the forward-looking statements, such as the company being able to maintain its listing on Nasdaq for the common stock, having sufficient capital for its acquisitions, operations and business expansion, and developing its business and capturing users for its services. Annualized and longer period revenue and business estimates are subject to the effect of macroeconomic events, to industry changes, to competitive forces, to client development and retention, to capital availability, and to many other operational factors; therefore, any financial forecasts offered by the Company must take into account the fact that the underlying assumptions may significantly change over time and projected results may substantively increase or decrease. Other risk factors affecting the Company are discussed in detail in the Company's filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. The Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except to the extent required by applicable laws.
Investor Relations Contact: ir@roundtable.io
Public Relations Contact: press@roundtable.io
