Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong stated that it's inaccurate to view crypto companies "turning to AI" as the only direction. In his view, AI and crypto are not substitutes; the former provides intelligent capabilities, while the latter handles funds, payments, and settlement channels.
Armstrong opposes the claim of shifting.
Armstrong recently posted on social media that encryption is more like a general-purpose infrastructure such as the internet or electricity, and it won't lose its function because of the emergence of new technologies. He believes that the expansion of AI will not weaken encryption, but rather make its infrastructure attributes more prominent.
This statement reflects the recent adjustment trends within the industry. Some crypto companies are investing resources in AI, mining companies are shifting towards AI infrastructure development, and some digital asset companies are making AI a new investment focus.
AI agents require on-chain funding channels.
Armstrong's core argument is that future AI agents will require independent financial infrastructure. According to him, such systems cannot open bank accounts like humans, nor can they rely on traditional processes such as cross-border remittances, making them more suitable for using programmable digital currencies that can be settled in real time.
He believes that in the future, AI agents will not only complete payments, but may also participate in transactions, provide financial advice, and raise funds or borrow money for their own projects. Some tax planning, portfolio rebalancing, and bill payments that are currently handled by humans may also gradually be handled by agent systems.
Coinbase bets on AiFi
Armstrong calls this direction Agentic Finance, or AiFi. According to him, Coinbase is positioning itself in this area, including participating in the x402 protocol and leveraging the Base blockchain to support related application scenarios.
He also stated that USDC already supports "most" current payment activities oriented towards AI agents. While specific figures were not disclosed, this statement indicates that Coinbase is attempting to combine stablecoins, on-chain payments, and AI agents as a new business direction.
It's worth noting that Coinbase has been internally pursuing an AI transformation. Armstrong stated earlier this year that the company would operate in a leaner, faster, and more AI-native manner, placing AI at the core. A few months ago, Coinbase laid off approximately 14% of its workforce.
