Artificial intelligence will process more cryptocurrency transactions than all humans combined

Brian Armstrong, CEO of the cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase, believes that artificial intelligence and cryptocurrencies are not in competition with each other, but together will shape the financial system of the future.

According to his forecast, AI agents will eventually conduct more transactions daily than all of humanity combined. This, in Armstrong’s view, is merely a matter of time, not a scenario from the distant future.

In this model, cryptocurrencies will serve as the primary financial infrastructure for autonomous agents. These agents will be able to independently pay for services, receive funds, and interact with one another—without the involvement of traditional banks.

Coinbase is already actively developing this area. The company is banking on the x402 protocol, the Base network, and the USDC stablecoin as key elements of so-called «agent finance.»

Essentially, Coinbase aims to serve as the backbone of an economy where algorithms—rather than people—will be the primary participants in financial transactions.