Crypto's True Intended Users: AI Agents, Not Humans, According to Alchemy's CEO

The current financial system was designed with human constraints such as geographical boundaries, sleep patterns, and physical presence. However, with the emergence of AI agents as economic participants, this human-centric design is becoming a hindrance. According to Nikil Viswanathan, co-founder and CEO of Alchemy, a crypto firm, 'one can argue that crypto was built for AI agents, not humans.' The existing financial infrastructure is tailored to human needs, with banks operating within specific hours and payments tied to countries. In contrast, AI agents do not require sleep, physical presence, or geographical boundaries, and they are increasingly capable of executing transactions independently. Viswanathan notes that all transactions for AI agents are online and inherently global, making crypto the native infrastructure for these new economic actors. Traditional finance is built on the assumption of friction, with cross-border payments involving currency exchanges, intermediaries, and fees. However, AI agents require seamless, programmable, and direct control over transactions, which crypto provides. The complexity that has historically made crypto challenging for humans, such as seed phrases and private keys, is actually a strength for machines. Viswanathan believes that as AI agents begin to utilize crypto, the financial system will become more global, programmable, and autonomous, with agents handling complexity and managing transactions automatically. This shift will enable humans to control their funds more easily, with a layered system consisting of traditional finance, crypto, an agent layer, and a human interface. Viswanathan compares this transformation to the shift from the postal system to the internet, where communication became faster and more efficient. Similarly, crypto, designed for computers, will become the foundation for a more efficient and autonomous financial system.