The paper says stablecoins are better suited than banks or card networks to the sub-cent, round-the-clock payments that agents would need to make, Decrypt reported. CoinDesk noted that BlackRock highlights Coinbase’s x402 protocol as one emerging way for agents to pay for online resources, including API calls.
BlackRock does not present this as a finished system. CoinDesk reported that the firm says agent payments remain at an early stage and that liquid markets for standardized compute contracts have yet to develop. Blockchain analytics firm TRM Labs examined $52.7 million in x402 settlements and estimated AI agents likely accounted for between 0.6% and 7.5% of that volume, according to InvestingLive.
Coinbase and Chainlink on Rails, Identity and Limits
Lovett said agents need new low-cost rails built for very high volumes. He said Coinbase is investing heavily in stablecoin payments, fast blockchains and agent protocols.
Nazarov expects tightly controlled use of agents. In his view, an agent would carry an identity and operate within set limits, similar to a Know Your Agent check. That echoes the themes Chainlink flagged for the session: TokenPost reported that the discussion centered on trusted data, guardrails and verifiable execution for agentic transactions.
Chainlink operates a decentralized oracle network that connects smart contracts with external data sources, APIs and payment systems, according to TokenPost.
The panel reflects a wider push by traditional finance and crypto firms to define the infrastructure for software-driven payments. For now, the debate centers on cost, speed and control, with identity and spending limits seen as prerequisites for wider use.
Sources
Decrypt: BlackRock says AI agents could drive crypto’s next demand wave
CoinDesk: BlackRock says AI agents could use stablecoins to pay for data and computing power
TokenPost: Chainlink co-founder joins BlackRock forum discussion on AI transactions
