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

The existing financial system was not designed with machines in mind, but rather around human constraints such as geography, sleep patterns, and physical presence. However, as AI agents begin to participate in the economy, this human-centric design is becoming a hindrance, according to Nikil Viswanathan, co-founder of crypto firm Alchemy. Viswanathan argues that cryptocurrency was essentially built for AI agents, not humans. The traditional financial system is filled with limitations, such as bank operating hours and payment systems tied to specific countries, which are based on human needs. In contrast, AI agents do not require sleep, physical presence, or geographical locations, and they can transact online without any restrictions. As a result, Viswanathan believes that cryptocurrency is the native infrastructure for a new type of economic actor. Alchemy, a crypto infrastructure company, provides developers with the necessary tools and services to build blockchain-based applications. The company's APIs, node infrastructure, and data services enable the creation of a wide range of products, from financial apps to non-fungible tokens and games, without requiring companies to manage the complexity of blockchain systems themselves. Traditional finance is based on the assumption of friction, with cross-border payments involving currency exchanges, intermediaries, and fees. However, for AI agents, this is not acceptable, as they need to transact seamlessly across borders at any time, often in small increments. They require programmability, direct control over money via code, and systems that do not depend on physical infrastructure or identity. Cryptocurrency offers exactly that - a global, always-on financial layer where value can move as easily as data. The complexity of cryptocurrency, including seed phrases, private keys, and interacting directly with code, is actually a strength when it comes to machines. Unlike humans, AI agents operate natively in code and can read and write in zeros and ones, which is also the language of cryptocurrency. Viswanathan compares the shift from crypto tools being built primarily for humans to crypto tools 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 more suitable for AI agents. In the future, AI agents will sit on top of crypto infrastructure, handling complexity automatically, managing wallets, executing transactions, and optimizing capital flows in real time, making it easier for people to control their funds. The result will be a more global, programmable, and autonomous financial system, with a layered structure consisting of traditional finance and crypto as the base, an agent layer operating on top, and a human interface above that.