- Franklin Templeton’s head of digital assets calls AI agents a “killer” use case for blockchain, citing machine-to-machine micropayments.
- Legacy card networks like VISA settle in one-to-three days, while blockchains like Solana, Aptos, and BNB Chain settle in seconds.
- Coinbase’s x402 payment protocol processed $15 million in adjusted volume across 109 million transactions since May 2025.
Sandy Kaul, head of digital assets at investment management giant Franklin Templeton, argued in a post on X on Wednesday that Artificial Intelligence agents represent the next “killer” use case for blockchain and cryptocurrency. Kaul stated that the emerging AI agent economy will drive demand for blockchain protocols capable of handling machine-to-machine micropayments.
Legacy card networks, according to Kaul, are unsuitable for agentic payments because of high fees and settlement times of one to three business days. He noted that blockchains like Aptos, Solana, and BNB Chain settle transactions in seconds, making them better suited for the agentic economy.
A joint report from Visa and Artemis, published last Wednesday, reinforced this view, concluding that traditional card infrastructure built for low-frequency human commerce cannot support AI agents. The report emphasized the need for near-zero fees and faster settlement to make agentic micropayments viable.
Meanwhile, Visa’s crypto division launched an AI tool in March that enables same-day payments for AI agents. Coinbase’s x402 payment protocol, which processes micropayments on-chain, has already handled $15 million in adjusted volume across over 109 million adjusted transactions since its launch in May 2025, according to the same Visa-Artemis report.
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