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 geographical location, sleep patterns, and physical presence. However, as AI agents start to participate in economic activities, 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 plagued by limitations such as operating hours, geographical restrictions, and the need for physical identity and presence. In contrast, AI agents operate around the clock, are not bound by geographical locations, and do not require physical presence or identity. They are increasingly capable of performing transactions on their own. All transactions conducted by AI agents are online and global in nature, Viswanathan pointed out. This is where cryptocurrency starts to emerge as the native infrastructure for a new type of economic actor, rather than an alternative financial system. Alchemy, a crypto 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 based on the assumption of friction, with cross-border transactions involving currency exchange, intermediaries, delays, and fees. While this may be acceptable for humans, it is impractical for AI agents, which require seamless and rapid transactions across borders, often in small increments. They also need programmability and direct control over funds via code, as well as systems that do not rely on physical infrastructure or identity. 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 interacting directly with code, is actually a strength when it comes to machines, Viswanathan noted. Unlike humans, AI agents operate natively in code and can read zeros and ones, which is also the language of cryptocurrency. For years, the crypto industry has attempted to make its tools more user-friendly for humans, but its underlying architecture was never designed with humans in mind. Viswanathan compared 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 similar. Looking ahead, Viswanathan envisions a future where AI agents will operate 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 financial system that is more global, programmable, and autonomous. Viswanathan sees a layered future, with traditional finance and crypto as the base, an agent layer operating on top, and a human interface above that. Just as computers operate the internet and humans use it, agents will operate finance.