AI Won't Kill Crypto Demand, Says Coinbase CEO

Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong is pushing back against calls for crypto to pivot to artificial intelligence, arguing AI agents will instead stoke demand for crypto-based financial services.

Armstrong took to X on Sunday to tout agentic finance (AiFi), highlighting Coinbase's Base network and USDC as the infrastructure for autonomous machine-to-machine payments.

AI being a megatrend takes nothing away from crypto, Armstrong wrote, because AI agents will need programmable money rather than traditional banking rails. If anything, it makes crypto more important.

His comments come as crypto companies increasingly position blockchain networks as payment infrastructure for AI agents, with agentic payment activity on Base topping 100 million transactions in June.