Coinbase Bets on Agentic Finance to Fuel Cryptocurrency Demand

Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong has argued that artificial intelligence (AI) will increase demand for cryptocurrency, rather than replace it.

Armstrong suggests that AI agents will use programmable money for autonomous transactions, driving up crypto demand. He points out that traditional bank accounts and cards require human identity checks and manual approval, which would be inefficient for automated systems.

Coinbase's agentic finance (AiFi) strategy combines Base, USDC, x402, and agent wallets to facilitate payments between software agents and service providers. The company has seen over 100 million x402 payments on Base, although Chainalysis notes that meme-coin farming drove much of the early growth.

Coinbase's products show that machines can initiate blockchain payments, but adoption figures depend on how analysts classify agent activity. Security, spending controls, identity rules, and service quality will shape wider use.