Experience the Dawn of Agentic Commerce at Consensus 2026

A significant shift is underway in the world of commerce, driven by the convergence of artificial intelligence and blockchain payments. AI agents, capable of autonomous perception, decision-making, and action, are beginning to engage in transactions, posing new challenges for traditional payment systems. The existing infrastructure, including credit cards, bank logins, and merchant onboarding flows, is not designed to accommodate the unique needs of these agents. As the number of AI agents is expected to surpass the human population, the need for a new financial infrastructure becomes increasingly pressing. Consensus 2026 will bring together over 15,000 influential figures from the crypto, AI, and finance sectors to discuss the future of agentic commerce and the regulatory frameworks that will shape it. The event will feature prominent speakers, including Christian Catalini, MIT professor and founder of the Cryptoeconomics Lab, who will discuss the distinction between assisted checkout and true agentic payments. Google Cloud's Global Head of Strategy for Web3, Rich Widmann, will also share insights on the company's investment in blockchain payment rails and the importance of developing infrastructure designed specifically for AI agents. The conference will delve into the ongoing debate between emerging protocols, such as x402 and MPP, which are vying to become the standard for agentic commerce. Additionally, CoinDesk University will offer a comprehensive curriculum, covering the fundamentals of agentic payments and providing attendees with hands-on experience in building and deploying these systems. As the industry hurtles towards a future where machine-to-machine transactions become the norm, the discussions and decisions made at Consensus 2026 will have a lasting impact on the trajectory of agentic commerce.