SINGAPORE, July 13, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Amber Global Limited ("Amber Group") today announced the opening of global registration for BUIDL_QUESTS 2026, the flagship builder program run by its accelerator amber.ac. The 2026 edition, themed "Autonomous Agents & Sovereignty," invites founders, engineers, researchers, and independent builders worldwide to compete across five frontier tracks on OpenArena.

Submissions are open from July 6 to August 12, 2026, with an initial prize pool of more than US$50,000 in cash and over US$350,000 in partner credits and resources.

Designed for founders, engineers, researchers, and independent builders worldwide, BUIDL_QUESTS 2026 brings together the global AI and AI-crypto ecosystem to build and showcase autonomous agents, sovereignty systems, and AI-native businesses. The program reflects amber.ac's commitment to supporting the next generation of AI-native founders and accelerating ideas into products, companies, and new models of human-agent collaboration.

All submissions will be hosted on OpenArena, where participants can submit projects, share progress publicly, and advance through staged review on a live leaderboard.

"BUIDL_QUESTS 2026 reflects our belief that the next generation of category-defining companies will be built at the intersection of AI, autonomy, and digital ownership," said Sanzhi, Ecosystem Director at amber.ac. "Through amber.ac and OpenArena, we want to give founders and builders a global platform to test ideas in public, connect with the right ecosystem, and turn emerging technologies into real products and companies."

2026 Theme: Autonomous Agents & Sovereignty

The 2026 theme, "Autonomous Agents & Sovereignty," focuses on how increasingly capable AI agents can execute tasks across software and services while humans retain ownership, judgment, and control. As autonomous systems advance, questions around identity, permissions, payments, data ownership, privacy, verifiable compute, and governance are becoming increasingly important — bringing AI and crypto into closer alignment.

Builders can compete across five tracks:

• Autonomous Agents: agent applications, long-horizon task execution, multi-agent collaboration, agent tooling, security, monitoring, and workflow automation
• Sovereignty: agent identity, reputation, DID, wallets, payments, data ownership, privacy, ZKP, TEE, verifiable compute, and governance protocols
• Agent Commerce: agent marketplaces, agent-as-a-service models, agent-to-agent payments, x402 / AP2-style payment flows, autonomous digital businesses, and AI-crypto business models
• AI Hardware & Applications: on-device AI, edge deployment, Raspberry Pi / Mac Mini agents, sensors, wearables, smart home, industrial, medical, agricultural, and physical-digital agent applications
• OPC / Super Individuals: AI-native solo builders, one-person companies, personal AI products, solo builder infrastructure, and autonomous digital businesses

Awards and Opportunities

BUIDL_QUESTS 2026 launches with a prize pool of more than US$50,000 in cash and over US$350,000 in partner credits and resources across cloud, AI, and infrastructure. The awards are intended to help teams continue building beyond submission, with access to the capital, technical resources, and ecosystem support needed to scale promising projects.

Confirmed support includes:

The figures above reflect the currently committed award pool. Final award categories, per-winner allocations, eligibility requirements, and award terms will be published in the official event rules. Cloud credits, where applicable, will be awarded through registered company entities.

Finalists will also receive support beyond the competition, including technical feedback from AI and AI-crypto advisors, connections to mentors, judges, investors, and ecosystem partners, visibility across Singapore's AI and startup community, and practical landing support for incorporation, grants, EntrePass, banking, and APAC market entry.

Program Timeline

BUIDL_QUESTS 2026 runs from a global online build phase into a Singapore finals week, with the following key dates:

Join BUIDL_QUESTS 2026

BUIDL_QUESTS 2026 invites founders, developers, researchers, designers, and independent builders worldwide to build in public, connect with the ecosystem, and explore the future of autonomous agents and sovereignty.

To submit a project, visit OpenArena: https://openarena.to/en/events/buidl-quests-2026

Bring your agent to the arena. Build what comes next.

About Amber Group

Amber Group is a global digital financial services and technology company providing solutions across the digital asset ecosystem, including wealth and asset management, institutional liquidity, market infrastructure, and secure wallet services. Its portfolio includes the Nasdaq-listed digital wealth platform Amber Premium, the accelerator amber.ac, and investment venture Amber Labs. Founded in 2017, Amber Group continues to innovate at the intersection of digital assets, financial infrastructure, and AI.

Website: ambergroup.io | LinkedIn: Amber Group | X: @ambergroup_io

About amber.ac

amber.ac is Amber Group's accelerator platform focused on AI-native companies, agent-driven services, and digital infrastructure for the AI economy. It supports founders building at the intersection of AI, crypto, and programmable financial systems, helping turn emerging technologies into scalable products and sustainable businesses. Its flagship initiative, BUIDL_QUESTS, is an annual global builder program designed to discover and support the next generation of AI-native founders.

Website: amber.ac | X: @amber_ac_

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