A seismic 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 now engaging in transactions, including payments for APIs and invoices. However, traditional payment systems are not equipped to handle these interactions efficiently. The advent of agentic commerce necessitates the creation of new payment rails, regulatory frameworks, and business models, which will be a key focus of Consensus 2026.
This event will bring together over 15,000 influential figures from the crypto, AI, and finance sectors to shape the future of agentic commerce. According to Christian Catalini, MIT professor and founder of the Cryptoeconomics Lab, true agentic payments will occur when AI is the counterparty, enabling capabilities such as atomic settlement and per-second payment streaming. Consensus 2026 will provide a platform for engineers, investors, and policymakers to collaborate on solving the near-term engineering problems associated with agentic commerce.
The presence of Google Cloud, which is actively investing in blockchain payment rails, underscores the significance of this emerging field. Rich Widmann, Google Cloud's Global Head of Strategy for Web3, notes that the biggest obstacles to agentic commerce are the existing products and infrastructure designed for humans, rather than agents. The event will feature discussions on protocols such as x402 and MPP, which are vying to become the standard for agentic payments. Additionally, CoinDesk University will offer a comprehensive curriculum on building and deploying agentic payments, covering topics from theory to implementation.
With agentic commerce advancing rapidly, the window for shaping its development is limited, and Consensus 2026 presents a unique opportunity for industry leaders to contribute to this process.