BlackRock Sees $1.1 Trillion Market for AI-Driven Payments

BlackRock's latest research report examines how artificial intelligence (AI) could transform payments using stablecoins and tokenization. The study, titled 'The Machine-Native Economy,' explores the growing connection between AI and digital assets.

The report highlights that autonomous software systems can interact directly with decentralized financial rails, enabling machine-to-machine transfers without human authorizations. Stablecoins are presented as a functional settlement mechanism for the autonomous economy, with over $11 trillion in adjusted stablecoin volume recorded throughout 2025.

The adoption of these currencies will depend on the consolidation of regulatory frameworks such as the GENIUS Act in the US, MiCA regulation in the EU, and specific regulations implemented in Hong Kong and Singapore. The report also addresses tokenization of traditional funds and securities, which would facilitate direct contractual rules for algorithmic agents.

The study emphasizes that tokenized assets do not exempt compliance with eligibility rules, Know Your Customer (KYC), and Anti-Money Laundering (AML) standards. The computing capacity required for inference and training tasks is estimated to rise to $1.1 trillion by 2030, with rights to graphics processing units (GPUs) represented through transferable digital contracts.