In 2025, approximately 40% of venture capital invested in crypto companies went towards firms that combined artificial intelligence and cryptocurrency, more than double the 18% from the previous year. Binance Research noted that AI is becoming an integral part of crypto's product and infrastructure stack.
The shift from AI 'co-pilots' to 'agents' is also evident, with agents capable of monitoring conditions and executing actions, thereby reducing the gap between insight and execution. This trend is part of a broader surge in AI spending, with AI companies raising $242 billion in the first quarter of 2026. Crypto platforms have been at the forefront of AI adoption, with many incorporating AI into their business models faster than traditional finance. According to Binance Research, crypto platforms have an advantage due to their always-on markets and programmable infrastructure.
For instance, on Binance's AI Pro beta, nearly half of the activity was triggered by the system rather than users, demonstrating the growing use of AI tools that operate in the background. The adoption of AI solutions varies across exchanges and brokers, with risk management, market signals, and fraud detection being standard, while user-facing tools are present in only 47% to 71% of them. Several major platforms have introduced agentic products, bringing AI closer to monitoring and execution.
This shift is expected to change the competitive landscape, with the focus moving from integrating AI features to owning users' decision-making loops.