BlackRock Says AI’s Impact On Crypto Demand Is Being Overlooked

BlackRock, the world’s largest asset manager, says the rapid growth of artificial intelligence could become a major, underappreciated driver of demand for digital assets in the years ahead.

AI Agents Could Boost Stablecoin Use

In a new research paper, BlackRock argued that the rise of AI agents and machine-to-machine payments could increase reliance on blockchains and programmable payment tools, particularly stablecoins. The firm noted that traditional payment systems often require human involvement for account setup and authorization, while merchant fees make very small transactions impractical. Stablecoins and other digital assets, by contrast, are better suited for constant, high frequency, low value transactions between machines.

Compute Market Seen As New Opportunity

BlackRock also pointed to the growing market for computing power used to train and run AI systems as a potential new use case for digital assets. The firm suggested that claims on computing capacity could be tokenized, allowing them to be traded, used as collateral, or automatically purchased by AI agents when needed, potentially drawing more institutional investors into the space.

Industry Executives Echo Similar Views

The report reinforces arguments long made within the crypto industry. Coinbase’s CEO previously said AI agents would need programmable money rather than traditional banking systems, arguing that AI growth strengthens rather than diminishes crypto’s relevance. Several companies, including Coinbase, Circle, and OKX, have already built payment tools designed to let AI agents handle transactions automatically.