Crypto’s infrastructure era arrives, with AI agents poised to reshape demand

Manusapon Kasosod | Moment | Getty ImagesFor years, the crypto industry's biggest challenge has been finding users beyond traders. Now, some of its largest companies think they've found them in AI agents.Although speculation still underpins much of crypto's business, companies are trying to build a second growth engine by turning agents into users of crypto wallets, stablecoins and payment networks.For example, this summer, Kraken said it's rebuilding its app to be able to give users access to AI agents capable of continuously monitoring markets, identifying investing opportunities and executing trades in real time. Coinbase launched a new tool that will allow agents like ChatGPT or Claude to execute crypto trades using natural language instructions. And in May, Circle announced a strategic expansion with its home-grown Arc blockchain, which is designed to be infrastructure for the agentic economy, where AI agents handle more of the operational and contractual work currently managed by humans.The bet marks a big shift for an industry that has spent much of the past decade trying to convince consumers that crypto would be a better form of money than traditional currencies, or a more...