USD.AI & Barker Launch Insured GPU Loan Coverage
Strategic partnership protects USD.AI holders through Munich Re-backed coverage
February 6, 2026
NEW YORK, NY – USD.AI, the leading protocol for GPU-backed lending, today announced a partnership with Barker, an institutional risk transfer platform, to provide comprehensive value protection on all GPU collateralized loans. The integration marks a significant evolution in USD.AI's risk management capabilities and will serve as a core component of the protocol's operating model going forward.
Under the partnership, every new GPU loan issued through the USD.AI protocol will come with independent, AI-driven valuations from Barker. Barker warranties their accuracy backed by Munich Re’s ‘aiSure’ performance guarantee, an A-rated reinsurer with hundreds of billions in insured value and over 140 years of operating history. This institutional-grade protection directly safeguards USD.AI holders in the event of collateral liquidations, representing a major upgrade to the protocol's risk architecture.
"This partnership fundamentally changes the risk profile for USD.AI holders," said Conor Moore, COO of Permian Labs, the developer of the USD.AI Protocol. "With Barker's coverage, USD.AI holders now have 100% coverage against loss given default on outstanding GPU-backed debt. If a borrower defaults and the collateral sells below the predicted value, USD.AI holders are made whole."
How Coverage Works
When a GPU-backed loan defaults and collateral must be liquidated, Barker's value warranty protects against any gap between the predicted and realized sale price.
Coverage Amount: Net 80% of Barker's independently assessed collateral valuation. Given that USD.AI loans carry a maximum 80% loan-to-value ratio, this provides 100% coverage of the outstanding debt amount.
Payout Trigger: If liquidation proceeds fall short of Barker's AI predicted valuation, the shortfall is paid directly to the protocol, protecting USD.AI holders from losses on the underlying loan.
Backed by Munich Re: All coverage is fully reinsured by Munich Re (Great Lakes Insurance SE), ensuring institutional-grade counterparty strength.
About Barker's Proven Track Record
Barker’s domain specific LLM values loan collateral and warranties the accuracy. Having established itself as a leading valuation platform, they facilitated approximately $2 billion in collateral valuations for a diversified client base spanning bulge-bracket banks and specialty asset-backed lenders. The platform maintains strict lender eligibility criteria and is deeply embedded into client credit workflows through rigorous vetting processes. The partnership represents a natural evolution for both platforms, with Barker's proven expertise in valuation risk transfer complementing USD.AI's position as the dominant GPU lending protocol.
“At Barker, our AI ensures accuracy for underwriting and our warranty delivers trust and protection. The Permian Labs team recognized this fast and we’re thrilled to be working with them” said Thomas Galbraith, CEO of Barker.
Implementation and Timeline
The value warranty integration will be deployed across all new GPU loans issued through the USD.AI protocol, with implementation beginning immediately. Existing FiLo tranche positions will remain in place, while new loans will use a “synthetic FiLo tranche” to cover costs. Future loans may still leverage traditional FiLo tranches to support alignment of interest between USD.AI holders and originating partners.
The partnership underscores USD.AI's commitment to institutional-grade infrastructure and risk management, positioning the protocol for continued growth as enterprise demand for GPU financing continues to accelerate.
About USD.AI
USD.AI is the leading decentralized protocol for GPU-backed lending, enabling data center operators and AI companies to unlock liquidity from their compute infrastructure. The protocol has facilitated millions in GPU-backed loans while maintaining industry-leading risk management standards.
About Barker
Barker is an institutional valuation risk transfer platform that enables banks and asset-backed lenders to offload collateral value risk through independent valuations and contractual price warranties, backed by A-rated insurance counterparties.