Born in 2001 in Argentina just as the country began to experience a devastating economic crisis, Amanu founder Gianluca Minoprio saw firsthand how traditional banking systems can fail their users. This experience shaped his mission to create a new type of crypto wallet, one that aims to bridge the gap between traditional finance and blockchain technology.
Fresh off multiple wins at the Consensus 2024 hackathon in Texas last May, Amanu is now challenging conventional notions of what a crypto wallet should be (if you’d like to apply for the EasyA Hackathon at Consensus Hong Kong 2025, please go here). The startup is developing a suite of features that extend far beyond traditional wallet functionality: users will soon be able to send crypto payments through their keyboard via any messaging app, make contactless transfers via ultrasound technology and manage transactions without dealing with gas fees or having to choose a blockchain.
One of the biggest hurdles in crypto wallet adoption remains the complexity of seed phrases — the string of random words users must safely store to recover their funds. This fundamental challenge has led Amanu to reimagine wallet security beyond the non-custodial core. Amanu’s wallet uses biometric signatures, eliminating seed phrases entirely.
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“The only way to trigger the signature is through your authorization,” Minoprio explains. “The exciting part about Amanu is that it could be closed source and you’d still know how the key is managed because every time we want to trigger the key, you need to accept it.”
This represents a significant departure from traditional wallets like MetaMask in which private keys are stored at the software level. However, questions remain about crucial features such as wallet recovery if a device is lost or damaged — an essential consideration for any hardware-based biometric system.
