Alchemy CEO Claims Crypto was Designed for AI Agents, Not Humans

The existing financial system was never intended for machine-based transactions. Instead, it was built around human constraints such as geographical boundaries, sleep patterns, paperwork, 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 the cryptocurrency firm Alchemy. Viswanathan argues that cryptocurrency was, in fact, designed for AI agents rather than 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 due to human residency, and credit cards require physical identity and presence. In contrast, AI agents do not sleep, have no physical location, and do not use banks or credit cards. Moreover, they are increasingly involved in transactions, not just assisting with tasks. All transactions conducted by AI agents are online and inherently global, Viswanathan explained in an interview. 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, as a cryptocurrency 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 exchange, intermediaries, delays, and fees. While this is normal for humans, it is impractical for AI agents. AI agents require seamless, borderless transactions at any time, often in small increments, as well as programmability and direct control over funds via code. They also need 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. According to Viswanathan, cryptocurrency is the global infrastructure for money that AI 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 actually a strength when it comes to machines. Unlike humans, AI 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 designed for humans in the first place. 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. The result will be a financial system that is more global, programmable, and autonomous. Viswanathan envisions a layered future, with traditional finance and cryptocurrency as the base, an agent layer operating on top, and a human interface above that. In this future, agents will operate finance, just like computers operate the internet and humans use it.