AI Agents Could Be Blockchain’s Biggest Growth Opportunity, Says Franklin Templeton Executive

Sandy Kaul, who leads digital assets and innovation at investment giant Franklin Templeton, says autonomous AI agents will become blockchain’s next major growth driver. She argues that as AI systems begin transacting on their own, demand will rise for networks built to handle fast, low cost machine to machine payments.

Card Networks Not Built for AI Transactions

Kaul explained that traditional payment systems, including major card networks, aren’t designed for this shift because of high fees and slow settlement, which can take up to three business days. She pointed to blockchains like Aptos, Solana, and BNB Chain as better alternatives since they can settle payments within seconds.

Payment Giants Reach Similar Conclusions

A recent joint report from Visa and research platform Artemis echoed these concerns, stating that infrastructure built for everyday human purchases can’t support the speed and low costs AI agents require. Visa and Stripe backed Tempo have already rolled out tools letting AI agents complete same-day payments.

Early Signs of Real Adoption

Coinbase’s x402 payment protocol, launched in May 2025, has already processed $15 million in transaction volume across more than 109 million transactions, signaling growing interest in machine driven payment systems.