Crypto Designed for AI Agents, Not Humans, According to Alchemy CEO

The existing financial framework was never intended for machine-based transactions. It was established with human limitations in mind, such as geographical constraints, sleep patterns, paperwork, and physical presence. However, with AI agents increasingly participating in economic activities, this human-centric design is becoming a bottleneck, according to Nikil Viswanathan, co-founder of the crypto firm Alchemy. Viswanathan stated, "One could argue that cryptocurrency was built for AI agents, not humans." The disparity between traditional finance and AI agents is evident everywhere. Banks have limited operating hours because humans do, payments are tied to countries where people reside, and credit cards require physical identification and presence. In contrast, AI agents operate without interruption, are not bound by geographical locations, and do not rely on physical banks or cards. Moreover, they are increasingly capable of executing transactions independently. All transactions conducted by agents occur online and are inherently global, Viswanathan explained in an interview with CoinDesk. This is where cryptocurrency starts to resemble the native infrastructure for a new type of economic participant, 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. These tools enable companies to create and scale on-chain products without having to manage the complexity of blockchain systems themselves. Traditional finance is built on the assumption of friction, where cross-border payments involve currency exchanges, intermediaries, delays, and fees. While this is normal for humans, it is impractical for AI agents. Agents require seamless, borderless transactions that can occur at any time, 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. Viswanathan noted, "Cryptocurrency is the global infrastructure for money that agents need." The complexity of cryptocurrency, which has long been a challenge for humans, including the use of seed phrases, private keys, and interacting directly with code, is precisely what makes it powerful for machines. Unlike humans, agents operate natively in code, reading zeros and ones as their native language, which is also the language of cryptocurrency. For years, cryptocurrency has attempted to become more human-friendly, but its underlying architecture was never intended for human use. Viswanathan compared the shift from cryptocurrency tools being built primarily 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. Moving forward, AI agents will utilize cryptocurrency infrastructure, handling complexity automatically, managing wallets, executing transactions, and optimizing capital flows in real-time, allowing people to control their funds more easily. Viswanathan envisions a layered future: traditional finance and cryptocurrency as the base, an agent layer operating on top, and a human interface above that. He stated, "Just like computers operate the internet and humans use it, agents will operate finance."