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

The existing financial framework was created with human limitations in mind, such as geographical constraints, sleep patterns, and physical presence. However, with AI agents increasingly participating in economic activities, this human-centric design is becoming a hindrance, according to Alchemy co-founder Nikil Viswanathan. 'One could argue that cryptocurrency was built for AI agents, rather than humans,' Viswanathan stated. The disparity is evident everywhere, from banks having operating hours to suit humans, to payments being tied to countries and credit cards requiring physical identity and presence. In contrast, AI agents operate around the clock, are not bound by geographical locations, and do not rely on physical infrastructure or identification. As Viswanathan noted, 'All transactions for agents are online and inherently global.' 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 cryptocurrency 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 built on the assumption of friction, with cross-border transactions involving currency exchanges, intermediaries, and fees. However, for AI agents, this friction is unacceptable, as they require seamless, programmable, and direct control over funds. Cryptocurrency offers exactly that - a global, always-on financial layer where value can be transferred as easily as data. According to Viswanathan, 'Cryptocurrency is the global infrastructure for money that agents need.' The complexity of cryptocurrency, which has long been a challenge for humans, is actually a strength when it comes to AI agents. Unlike humans, agents operate natively in code and can read zeros and ones, the language of cryptocurrency. Viswanathan compared the shift from human-centric cryptocurrency tools to AI-agent-centric tools 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 powerful because it is designed for AI agents. Looking ahead, Viswanathan envisions a future where AI agents will sit on top of cryptocurrency infrastructure, handling complexity, managing wallets, and optimizing capital flows in real-time, allowing people to control their funds more easily. The result will be a financial system that is more global, programmable, and autonomous, with a layered structure consisting of traditional finance, cryptocurrency, an agent layer, and a human interface.