Brian Armstrong believes the next wave of crypto adoption may not come from retail traders or institutions, but from software.
The Coinbase chief executive recently pointed to a shift already under way inside his own company. AI agents are now responsible for writing more than half of Coinbase’s code and handling roughly 60 per cent of customer support interactions. Automation, he suggested, is no longer experimental. It is embedded in day to day operations.
The bigger development, in his view, sits around payments. Coinbase is equipping AI agents with their own stablecoin wallets, enabling them to carry out machine to machine transactions. That could include paying for cloud infrastructure, accessing subscription based data, registering domains or completing other digital tasks without a person authorising each step.
Armstrong’s argument is straightforward. Traditional financial systems were designed around human identity. Corporate cards, bank accounts and payment approvals assume a legal person at the centre of every transaction. Autonomous software does not fit neatly into that structure. Crypto networks, by contrast, allow wallets to transact without requiring the same identity framework, which makes them more adaptable for software agents operating independently.
If AI systems are to function as digital workers, they will need a way to pay and be paid. Stablecoins, which are pegged to fiat currencies and move across blockchain networks, are emerging as a practical tool for that purpose. In this scenario, demand for crypto assets could expand beyond individuals and institutions to include automated systems acting on their own instructions.
There is early evidence that companies are experimenting in this direction. Across the industry, developers are building AI tools that can interact with on chain services, execute smart contracts and manage treasury functions. Payment infrastructure firms are also exploring how stablecoins can settle transactions faster and at lower cost than some legacy systems.
Sceptics caution that enthusiasm should be tempered. AI agents still operate within parameters set by humans, and widespread autonomous spending raises regulatory and compliance questions. Issues around fraud, accountability and consumer protection remain unresolved. Financial authorities in several jurisdictions are still assessing how stablecoins should be supervised, and rules vary widely.
There are also technical hurdles. AI systems need secure key management to control crypto wallets, and any weakness in that layer could expose funds to theft. Enterprises may be reluctant to allow software to move money without strict oversight, particularly in regulated sectors.
Even so, the direction of travel is drawing attention. The combination of programmable money and increasingly capable AI agents creates a feedback loop. As AI tools take on more operational roles, the need for frictionless digital payments grows. As crypto infrastructure becomes easier to integrate, it offers a ready made payment rail for software driven activity.
Armstrong’s comments highlight a broader shift in how market participants think about adoption. For years, the focus has been on convincing more people and institutions to hold or use digital assets. The prospect that autonomous systems could become users in their own right adds a new dimension.
Whether that translates into material demand remains to be seen. Much will depend on regulatory clarity, technical safeguards and the pace at which businesses are willing to let software act independently. For now, the idea that the next crypto wallet could belong to an algorithm rather than a person is moving from theory towards practical experimentation.
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