Crypto Is Better Suited for AI Agents Than Humans, According to Alchemy CEO

The existing financial system was not designed with machines in mind, but rather around human limitations such as geographical location, sleep patterns, paperwork, 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 the crypto firm Alchemy. Viswanathan claims that cryptocurrency was essentially built for AI agents, not humans. The disparity is evident everywhere: banks have limited hours due to human constraints, payments are tied to countries where people reside, and credit cards require physical identity and presence. In contrast, AI agents operate continuously, are not bound by geography, and do not use physical cards or visit banks. Moreover, they are increasingly involved in transactions, not just assisting with tasks. All transactions conducted by agents occur online and are inherently global, Viswanathan explained in an interview with CoinDesk. This is where cryptocurrency starts to appear more like the native infrastructure for a new type of economic actor, 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. Traditional finance is based 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, which require seamless and rapid transactions across borders, often in small increments. They also need programmability and direct control over money via code, as well as systems that do not rely on physical infrastructure or identity. Cryptocurrency provides exactly that: a global, always-on financial layer where value can be transferred as easily as data. Viswanathan believes that cryptocurrency is the global infrastructure for money that AI agents need. The complexity of cryptocurrency, including 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 and can read zeros and ones, which is also the language of cryptocurrency. For years, cryptocurrency has tried to become more user-friendly for humans, but its underlying architecture was never designed for humans in the first place. Viswanathan compared the shift from crypto tools being built primarily for humans to crypto tools 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. Looking ahead, Viswanathan envisions a future where AI agents will sit on top of crypto infrastructure, handling complexity automatically, managing wallets, executing transactions, and optimizing capital flows in real-time, making it easier for people to control their own funds. This would result in a financial system that is more global, programmable, and autonomous. Viswanathan sees a layered future: traditional finance and cryptocurrency as the base, an agent layer operating on top, and a human interface above that. Just as computers operate the internet and humans use it, agents will operate finance.