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

The existing financial system was designed with human limitations in mind, such as geographical constraints, sleep patterns, and physical presence. However, with the emergence of AI agents as economic participants, this human-centric design is becoming a hindrance, according to Alchemy co-founder Nikil Viswanathan. "One could argue that cryptocurrency was created for AI agents, not humans," he stated. The disparity is evident everywhere, from banks' operating hours to payments tied to countries and credit cards requiring physical identity and presence. In contrast, AI agents operate without interruption, are not bound by geographical locations, and do not rely on physical cards or bank visits. Moreover, they are increasingly involved in transactions, not just assisting with tasks. Viswanathan noted that all transactions for AI agents are online and inherently global. This is where cryptocurrency starts to resemble the native infrastructure for a new type of economic actor, rather than an alternative financial system. Alchemy, a cryptocurrency infrastructure company, provides developers with the necessary tools and services to build blockchain-based applications, including APIs, node infrastructure, and data services. Traditional finance is built on the assumption of friction, with cross-border transactions involving currency exchanges, intermediaries, and fees. However, for AI agents, this is impractical. They require seamless, borderless transactions, often in small increments, with programmability and direct control over funds via code. Cryptocurrency offers exactly that - a global, always-on financial layer where value can be transferred as easily as data. The complexity that has long made cryptocurrency challenging for humans, such as seed phrases and private keys, is actually a strength for machines. AI agents operate natively in code, and cryptocurrency's underlying architecture was never truly designed for humans. Viswanathan compared the shift from cryptocurrency tools being built for humans to being used by AI agents 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 similar. Looking ahead, AI agents will utilize cryptocurrency infrastructure, handling complexity, managing wallets, and optimizing capital flows in real-time, allowing people to control their funds more easily. The result will be a more global, programmable, and autonomous financial system, with a layered structure consisting of traditional finance and cryptocurrency as the base, an agent layer on top, and a human interface above that.