Coinbase CEO says AI agents will outtrade humans with crypto

Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong has argued that cryptocurrency and blockchain technology are not competitors to artificial intelligence but are instead foundational infrastructure that will enable a new era of automated, machine-to-machine commerce. In a post on the social media platform X on July 27, Armstrong criticized a trend of crypto firms pivoting to rebrand as AI companies, calling it "zero-sum, scarcity thinking." He instead framed crypto as a general-purpose technology, like electricity, that will underpin the next wave of automation.

Armstrong's core thesis, which he terms "Agentic Finance" or "AiFi," is that autonomous AI agents will eventually execute more daily financial transactions than all humans combined. He contends these software agents cannot use traditional banking systems, which are designed for human interaction and involve delays. Instead, they require fast, programmable, and global settlement, which he says blockchains and stablecoins can provide.

To advance this vision, Coinbase has launched a suite of products. In June, the company introduced "Coinbase for Agents," a tool that connects AI systems to user accounts, allowing them to trade, monitor markets,...