Alchemy CEO Claims Crypto is Better Suited for AI Agents Than Humans

The existing financial system was not designed with machines in mind. Instead, it was built around human limitations such as geographical location, sleep patterns, paperwork, and physical presence. However, as AI agents start to participate in the economy, this human-centric design is becoming a hindrance, according to Nikil Viswanathan, co-founder of the crypto firm Alchemy. Viswanathan argues that cryptocurrency was actually built for AI agents, not humans. The current financial system has limitations such as banking hours, country-specific payments, and credit cards that require physical identity and presence. In contrast, AI agents operate around the clock, have no physical location, and do not use traditional banking systems or credit cards. They are increasingly autonomous and can perform transactions on their own. All transactions involving AI agents are online and global, which is where cryptocurrency comes into play. According to Viswanathan, crypto is not an alternative financial system, but rather the native infrastructure for a new type of economic actor. Traditional finance is based on friction, with cross-border payments involving currency exchanges, intermediaries, delays, and fees. This is normal for humans but impractical for AI agents, which require seamless, programmable, and direct control over funds. Cryptocurrency offers exactly that - a global, always-on financial layer where value can be transferred as easily as data. The complexity of cryptocurrency, including seed phrases, private keys, and coding, is actually a strength when it comes to AI agents, which operate natively in code. Viswanathan compares the shift from human-centric crypto tools to AI-centric ones to the transition from the postal system to the internet. Just as email is more powerful than the postal system because it is designed for computers, cryptocurrency is more suitable for AI agents. In the future, AI agents will sit on top of crypto infrastructure, handling complexity, managing wallets, and optimizing capital flows in real-time, making it easier for people to control their funds. This will result in a more global, programmable, and autonomous financial system. Viswanathan envisions a layered future with traditional finance and crypto at the base, an agent layer operating on top, and a human interface above that.