Major cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase has opted out of supporting the upcoming migration process for the Artificial Superintelligence Alliance (ASI) token. This decision comes amidst a larger merger between three AI protocol projects: SingularityNET, Fetch.ai, and Ocean Protocol.
The ASI token merger, announced in March, aims to combine the native cryptocurrencies of these three projects (AGIX, FET, and OCEAN) into a single, unified token, ASI. This two-phase migration is scheduled to begin on July 1st.
According to a statement from Coinbase Assets X, the exchange will not be facilitating the automatic migration of user holdings. However, users will still be able to participate in the merger by manually transferring their OCEAN and FET tokens to ASI using a self-custodial wallet, including Coinbase Wallet itself. Coinbase emphasized that trading for both OCEAN and FET will continue as usual on their platform.
The decision to merge these tokens aims to create a more prominent player in the field of AI research and development. The combined ASI token would represent the largest open-source, independent entity within the AI space, according to a statement shared with The Block. The goal behind this collaboration is to leverage the individual strengths of each project, foster decentralized AI infrastructure, and attract further investment into the field.
Despite the promise of the merger, the native tokens of the involved projects have experienced a decline in value over the past 24 hours. Data from The Block’s price page shows drops of 7.3% for Fetch.ai (FET), 6.9% for SingularityNET (AGIX), and over 7% for Ocean Protocol (OCEAN).
Coinbase’s decision to not participate in the automatic migration adds another wrinkle to the upcoming ASI token launch. While users still have the option to participate in the merger manually, it remains to be seen how this decision will impact overall user adoption and the value of the new ASI token.