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

The existing financial system was never designed with machines in mind, instead, it was built around human constraints such as geography, sleep patterns, and physical presence. However, as AI agents start to participate in the economy, this human-centric design is becoming a bottleneck, according to Nikil Viswanathan, co-founder of crypto firm Alchemy. Viswanathan argues that crypto was essentially built for AI agents, not humans. The traditional financial system has limitations such as operating hours, country-based payments, and credit cards that require physical identity and presence, which are not suitable for AI agents that operate around the clock, have no physical presence, and do not use traditional payment methods. AI agents are increasingly transacting online and require a global, programmable, and autonomous financial system. Crypto offers exactly that, providing a global financial layer where value can move seamlessly, just like data. The complexity of crypto, including seed phrases and private keys, is actually a strength when it comes to machines, as they operate natively in code. Viswanathan believes that crypto will become the native infrastructure for AI agents, enabling them to transact seamlessly across borders, at any time, and in tiny increments. The future of finance will be layered, with traditional finance and crypto at the base, an agent layer operating on top, and a human interface above that, allowing people to control their funds more easily.