BlackRock believes the widespread adoption of artificial intelligence could significantly boost demand for digital assets, particularly stablecoins and tokenized computing capacity. The asset manager's research suggests AI agents will require programmable payment rails and on-chain assets for machine-to-machine transactions, potentially expanding the role of crypto infrastructure.
The analysis from BlackRock, a major institutional player, could signal a shift in how traditional finance views the intersection of AI and digital assets, potentially attracting broader investor interest and development in crypto infrastructure.
BlackRock, the world's largest asset manager, has identified artificial intelligence as a potentially significant, yet underappreciated, driver of demand for digital assets. In its research paper, "The Machine-Native Economy," the firm posits that the rise of AI and machine-to-machine payments could spur increased use of blockchains, stablecoins, and other on-chain assets for transactional purposes. The report also highlights an opportunity in tokenizing claims on computing capacity, which could be traded and used as collateral, thereby broadening institutional investor participation in the digital asset ecosystem.
The authors, including BlackRock's Will Su, Robert Mitchnick, Jay Jacobs, and William Helm, argue that existing payment systems are not ideally suited for the high-frequency, low-value, round-the-clock transactions that AI agents might conduct. They suggest that stablecoins are likely to lead in supporting this "agentic commerce." This perspective aligns with views previously expressed by Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong, who contended that AI agents will necessitate programmable money rather than traditional banking infrastructure. Several crypto companies, including Coinbase, Tempo, Circle, and OKX, are actively developing protocols and tools aimed at facilitating automated payments for AI agents.
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