Money for machines: How AiFi could reshape finance

​The rapid rise of artificial intelligence has given birth to an idea that seemed like science fiction just a few years ago—a financial system where software, rather than people, becomes the primary economic participant. Proposed by Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong, the concept of Agentic Finance (AiFi) envisions crypto infrastructure serving as the financial foundation for an economy powered by AI agents.

Over the past few years, artificial intelligence has emerged as the defining technology trend, prompting many companies to rethink their priorities. Against this backdrop, some have argued that crypto is gradually losing relevance and that developers should shift their focus toward AI.

Coinbase CEO disagrees. In his view, artificial intelligence will not replace cryptocurrencies—it will create an entirely new market for them.

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If millions of AI agents begin buying data, paying for computing power, executing transactions, and interacting with one another autonomously, they will require their own financial infrastructure. Armstrong refers to this vision as Agentic Finance, or AiFi.

Why AI agents need their own financial system

Today, they can already search for information, analyze documents, write code, book services, and interact with other digital platforms. The next logical step is enabling them to pay for the resources they need without human involvement.

According to Armstrong, this is where the traditional financial system begins to fall short.

An AI agent cannot open a bank account, complete standard identity verification procedures, or wait several days for an international bank transfer to settle. By contrast, a crypto wallet can be created programmatically, while payments can be executed almost instantly and without geographic restrictions.

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In his post, the Coinbase CEO outlined a broader future in which AI agents could do far more than pay for services. They could manage investments, automatically rebalance portfolios, raise capital for their projects, and even act as financial advisers. While many of these scenarios remain speculative, the concept of autonomous payments is already beginning to move beyond theory.

First steps toward an AI economy

Despite its futuristic nature, elements of this vision are already starting to emerge.

Coinbase is developing the open x402 protocol, which enables software to automatically pay for access to data, APIs, computing resources, and other digital services without human intervention.

However, the idea of an AI-agent economy is no longer limited to a single company. Similar initiatives are being pursued by Google, Visa, Mastercard, Stripe, and other major technology and financial firms.

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These companies are also building systems that allow AI to securely make payments, purchase digital services, and interact with online platforms. As a result, AiFi increasingly reflects a broader trend in financial technology rather than a strategy unique to Coinbase.

The greatest challenges facing AiFi

Despite growing interest in the concept, a fully functioning AI-agent economy remains a distant prospect. Most projects are still in their early stages, while many of the scenarios described by Armstrong remain largely theoretical.

The most difficult challenge is regulation. If an AI agent independently executes an erroneous transaction, purchases prohibited goods, or becomes involved in fraudulent activity, it remains unclear who should be held responsible—the owner, the developer, the service operator, or the platform itself.

Most legal systems have yet to provide a clear answer.

Security is another major concern. Giving software the authority to control financial assets is significantly more complex than allowing it to analyze documents or respond to messages.

For that reason, existing solutions rely on spending limits, predefined rules, and continuous human oversight. Fully autonomous financial agents remain more of a long-term goal than a present-day reality.

Moreover, the crypto industry is not the only contender seeking to build this infrastructure.

Google is already developing the open Agent2Agent (A2A) protocol, which enables AI agents to communicate with one another. Meanwhile, Visa, Mastercard, and Stripe are creating their own systems that allow AI to securely initiate payments through the existing financial infrastructure.

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This means cryptocurrencies still need to prove that decentralized infrastructure is the most practical foundation for an AI-driven economy.

A new phase for financial markets?

Today, Agentic Finance is less a finished product than an attempt to define the direction financial markets may take over the coming years. Coinbase has become one of the first major companies to unite ideas such as autonomous payments, programmable money, and AI-agent economies into a single framework.

At the same time, the broader market is moving in the same direction, with similar initiatives emerging well beyond the crypto industry.

Still, blockchain offers several advantages that are difficult to replicate within the traditional financial system. Around-the-clock settlement, programmable payments, the absence of geographic restrictions, and the ability to create digital wallets instantly make crypto infrastructure a natural candidate to serve as the financial layer for autonomous software.

As a result, many industry observers see AI not as a competitor to cryptocurrencies, but as a potential source of new demand for blockchain-based financial infrastructure.

Will millions of AI agents independently manage capital and trade digital assets within the next few years?

For now, that scenario remains overly optimistic.

However, machine-to-machine payments are no longer merely an academic concept. The first practical tools are beginning to emerge, while major technology companies continue investing heavily in the field. As a result, the debate has shifted from whether such a system is possible to which infrastructure will ultimately power the next generation of the digital economy.