AI Agents to Fuel Blockchain and Crypto Growth, Franklin Templeton Predicts

Asset manager Franklin Templeton believes autonomous AI agents could become a key driver of blockchain and crypto growth. According to the firm, AI agents will need low-cost, high-speed payment solutions for transactions between software systems, driving demand for cryptocurrencies.

Sandy Kaul, Head of Digital Assets and Innovation at Franklin Templeton, published an analysis arguing that agentic AI could become a leading use case for blockchain technology. Unlike generative models, which primarily create content and respond to user prompts, AI agents will be able to complete complex multi-step tasks independently and make payments without ongoing human involvement.

The report forecasts significant growth in the adoption of AI agents: by 2028, 38% of organizations plan to use AI agents as 'team members' alongside human employees. The agentic commerce market could reach $3 trillion to $5 trillion by 2030, and AI agents could account for up to 25% of all online sales in the U.S. by 2030.

Franklin Templeton identifies several advantages of blockchain infrastructure: automatic execution of smart contracts, decentralized digital identity, transparency and auditability of transactions, access to distributed computing resources, and high transaction processing speed. The firm notes that several blockchain networks already demonstrate high throughput, including Aptos, Solana, and BNB Chain.