In a move that could reshape lending in the digital asset economy, fintech startup Merso has officially launched what it calls the first AI-powered credit infrastructure built specifically for digital assets. The twist? Instead of evaluating borrowers, Merso’s system evaluates the assets themselves. And with $3 million in seed backing and 50+ Web3 partners at the starting line, the company isn’t just talking theory.

Founded in August 2023, Merso’s team has spent two years feeding a proprietary AI engine with billions of on-chain transactions and behavioral signals. That work now powers a fully automated lending infrastructure that delivers real-time risk scoring, dynamic loan terms, and zero-friction integration for platforms.

In short: no credit checks, no paperwork, no smart contract overhauls — and, crucially, no direct exposure for the platforms using it.

“We’re not just building tools,” says founder and CEO David Pérez-Iturralde. “We’re building infrastructure to unlock liquidity in Web3 — starting with gaming and tokenization.”

Why It Matters: Liquidity Without the Risk

The digital asset lending space is undergoing a shift — from borrower-centric to asset-centric models — as traditional risk frameworks fail to keep up with the volatility and dynamism of token-based economies. Merso leans into that shift, offering a plug-and-play model that sidesteps many compliance and scalability hurdles plaguing DeFi and centralized exchanges alike.

By focusing on asset-level intelligence, Merso’s system can dynamically adjust loan terms based on real-time risk — think of it like a credit rating for NFTs or tokenized game items. This allows platforms to extend credit with less risk, no custody, and no compliance headaches.

The early results are compelling:

• Up to 40% higher conversion rates
• 60%+ boosts in average transaction sizes
• All achieved without altering tokenomics or smart contracts

It’s an ambitious pitch, and early adopters seem to agree. Over 50 Web3 gaming studios and publishers — including multiple global top-10s — are already onboard or integrating.

Built for Web3, Backed by TradFi

What sets Merso apart isn’t just its tech stack — it’s the mix of talent and market insight. The leadership includes veterans behind a prior $1B+ exit in traditional finance, as well as elite Web3 and engineering talent. This combination may help bridge the gap between high-conviction crypto projects and the kind of institutional-grade risk modeling traditional markets expect.

Security and compliance also get top billing. Merso is already aligned with both U.S. and EU regulatory standards, giving it an edge over many homegrown DeFi protocols still struggling with policy clarity.

The timing for Merso is notable. As Web3 gaming, tokenized assets, and digital identity continue to mature, the infrastructure supporting them is under increasing pressure to scale. Lending — one of the last holdouts in this evolution — has often lagged due to high risk and fragmented data.

Merso’s launch suggests a path forward, using AI not just for personalization or fraud detection (as is common in fintech), but for automated, real-time underwriting at the asset level. It’s a model that echoes innovations like Plaid’s data pipes or Stripe’s fraud AI — but tuned for Web3’s complex, composable ecosystems.

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