BlackRock has projected that the spread of artificial intelligence (AI) agents could increase demand for cryptocurrencies.
On Oct. 6 local time, blockchain outlet Bitcoin Magazine reported that BlackRock said software rather than retail investors could become a major pillar of future cryptocurrency demand.
The key is that if AI agents begin taking part in real economic activity, existing payment infrastructure has major limits. BlackRock said card networks and automated clearing house (ACH) systems assume human-centered onboarding procedures, are inefficient for very small payments due to their fee structures, and are slow to settle and confirm payments. It said AI agents are developing to handle tasks such as booking travel, buying data and renting computing resources on their own, requiring payment methods that operate 24 hours a day.
That is also why it focused on blockchain-based payment networks. BlackRock assessed that crypto-native blockchain rails (ACH) are particularly suitable for high-frequency, sub-1 cent, machine-to-machine (M2M) transactions. It also said this structure fits around-the-clock transactions such as API calls and usage-based computing.
It also differentiated the roles of bitcoin and stablecoins. Research from the Bitcoin Policy Institute found that in controlled simulations, stablecoins tended to be preferred for everyday payments while bitcoin tended to be preferred as a long-term store of value. BlackRock said as AI adoption expands and agent-based systems become more capable, digital assets could become a core element of AI economic infrastructure. It said the scope of use could widen for stablecoins, tokenised real-world assets (RWA) and native cryptocurrencies that support blockchain payments.
The report aligns with BlackRock’s past stance on cryptocurrencies. BlackRock has consistently taken a positive view of blockchain-based use cases such as bitcoin and tokenised assets. The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) approved BlackRock’s iShares Bitcoin Trust (IBIT) in 2024, and the product has since attracted the most investment and trading volume among bitcoin spot exchange-traded funds (ETFs). The fund recorded the most successful debut in ETF history and still manages more than $67 billion in assets.
BlackRock has previously assessed that bitcoin belongs to its own asset class. Against that backdrop, BlackRock is focusing on the possibility that as AI expands as an economic actor, bitcoin and stablecoins could be used as infrastructure assets for payments and value storage beyond being simple investment assets.
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