OpenAI and Paradigm Launch EVMbench to Secure the AI-Crypto Economy

On February 18, 2026, OpenAI and Paradigm introduced EVMbench, a new benchmarking system designed specifically to evaluate and secure the performance of AI agents within the Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) ecosystem.

Bankless

Bankless

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EVMbench Overview

This benchmark addresses the growing need for safety and reliability as autonomous AI agents are increasingly used to manage crypto tokens and execute smart contracts.

arXiv

arXiv

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Targeted Security: It provides a standardized framework to test how well AI models can navigate high-stakes, adversarial blockchain environments.

Vulnerability Detection: The system evaluates an agent's ability to identify smart contract exploits, similar to recent industry efforts that identified millions in potential losses through automated auditing.

Performance Metrics: It measures "survival and truth-seeking" capabilities, moving beyond simple task completion to ensure agents can operate securely without "guessing" or "trial-and-error" in financial markets.

Anthropic

Anthropic

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Industry Context

The launch follows a series of AI-security developments in early 2026:

AI Agent Economy: The rise of autonomous "crypto AI agents" has necessitated new standards for identity management and "Zero Trust" protocols to prevent prompt injection via APIs.

Competitive Landscape: Competitors like Anthropic have also released security-focused benchmarks (e.g., SCONE-bench) to quantify the total value of simulated stolen funds, pushing the industry toward more robust automated auditing.

OpenAI's Expansion: This security focus aligns with OpenAI's broader 2026 roadmap, which includes the development of next-generation personal agents following the acquisition of key talent from the OpenClaw project

#OpenAI #CryptoSecurity #SmartContracts #OpenClawFounderJoinsOpenAI #Web3AI