Experience the Dawn of Agentic Commerce at Consensus 2026

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 decision-making and action, are beginning to engage in transactions, from paying for APIs to settling invoices. However, traditional payment systems are ill-equipped to handle these new players, creating friction that hinders their navigation. The upcoming Consensus 2026 event is poised to address this challenge, bringing together over 15,000 influential minds in crypto, AI, and finance to discuss the future of agentic commerce. According to Christian Catalini, MIT professor and founder of the Cryptoeconomics Lab, true agentic payments will only be achieved when AI is the counterparty, enabling features like atomic settlement and per-second payment streaming. This is not a distant vision but a near-term engineering problem that Consensus 2026 aims to tackle. Google Cloud's significant investment in blockchain payment rails underscores the industry's recognition of agentic commerce's potential. Rich Widmann, Google Cloud's Global Head of Strategy for Web3, emphasizes that the biggest hurdle lies in products being designed for humans, not agents, highlighting the need for infrastructure built from the ground up for agentic commerce. Two emerging protocols, x402 and MPP, are vying to become the standard for agentic payments, with both set to be discussed at Consensus 2026. The event will also feature CoinDesk University, offering a comprehensive curriculum on building and deploying agentic payments. As the window for shaping the future of agentic commerce is briefly open, Consensus 2026 presents a pivotal moment for builders, investors, and industry leaders to come together and define the trajectory of this revolutionary technology.