Franklin Templeton, a leading global asset management firm overseeing over $1.5 trillion in assets, has identified artificial intelligence agents as the next major growth area for blockchain and cryptocurrency. Sandy Kaul, the firm’s head of digital assets and innovation, outlined this vision in a recent post on X.
AI agents and blockchain infrastructure
According to Kaul, the emergence of an AI-driven agent economy will generate significant demand for blockchain protocols capable of supporting machine-to-machine micropayments. She noted that legacy payment networks, including widely used card systems, face challenges meeting the fast and low-cost requirements of automated digital agents.
Kaul highlighted the limitations of established card networks, with fees and settlement speeds unsuited for the high-frequency, micro-level transactions typical of automated AI agents. In her view, most investors today focus on acquiring shares of companies aligned with the AI sector, but she questioned whether this approach will remain effective as agentic AI becomes prevalent.
Most investors today buy shares of AI-aligned companies to access the AI growth opportunity, but it remains uncertain if that strategy will hold as agentic AI evolves.
She pointed to blockchain networks including Aptos, Solana, and BNB Chain as well-positioned for this new digital landscape. These platforms can settle transactions within seconds, offering a sharp contrast to the one-to-three business day settlement times seen in systems like the Visa network.
Payment industry leaders have recently examined this topic as well. Payments giant Visa and research platform Artemis published a joint report last week, concluding that traditional cards—designed for infrequent, human-driven transactions—are not adequate for the needs of AI agents. They argued that to support agentic micropayments on a commercial scale, networks require both instant settlement and minimal fees.
Mini dictionary: Agentic economy, a digital ecosystem where AI agents autonomously perform transactions or tasks, often interacting with other machines, users, or protocols without direct human intervention.
Industry response and adoption trends
Within the past few months, several major players have launched tools targeting the intersection of AI and payments. Visa’s crypto division and Tempo, supported by Stripe, both unveiled AI-driven solutions in March. Visa’s new function grants AI agents the ability to process same-day payments.
Meanwhile, new protocols facilitating machine payments are seeing early signs of traction. The x402 payment protocol, a system created by Coinbase, reportedly processed $15 million in adjusted volume through over 109 million adjusted transactions since its introduction in May 2025, according to the joint analysis by Visa and Artemis.
| Protocol/Network | Settlement Speed | Recent Usage |
|---|---|---|
| Aptos | Seconds | Positioned for agentic AI |
| Solana | Seconds | Positioned for agentic AI |
| BNB Chain | Seconds | Positioned for agentic AI |
| Visa Network | 1–3 business days | Traditional card usage |
| x402 (Coinbase) | Seconds | $15 million, 109M transactions since May 2025 |
Visa launched its machine-to-machine payments tool to strengthen its presence as the pace of agentic transactions accelerates, while adoption data from Coinbase illustrates practical engagement with the technology in live environments. This suggests interest is building in infrastructure that can support the complex and rapid settlement needs of AI-driven economies.
Visa and Artemis found that traditional payment cards are not built for the frequency or scale required by agentic AI transactions, reinforcing the shift toward blockchain alternatives.
The increasing experimentation and support for agentic AI payments by both blockchain networks and major payment industry companies reflect a growing recognition of the role digital assets may play in powering next-generation automated commerce.
