BlackRock: AI agents may drive next crypto demand wave

BlackRock is not new to crypto. The SEC approved its iShares Bitcoin Trust in 2024, and the fund has since attracted the most investment and trading volume of all U.S. bitcoin ETFs, managing over $67 billion. The firm has previously called bitcoin an asset class of its own, bought by investors hedging against potential debt crises.

The new report extends that stance from human investors to software. Its argument is that card networks and automated clearing houses carry human-driven onboarding, fees that make tiny payments uneconomic, and slower settlement — all poor fits for AI agents transacting at machine speed. Crypto-native blockchain rails, the report says, suit high-frequency, sub-cent, machine-to-machine transactions around the clock.

What the report does not settle is whether agents will transact in meaningful volume. Its evidence is the Bitcoin Policy Institute's controlled simulations, which point toward a possible AI-native monetary architecture rather than a measured one. The outcome likely hinges on how capable and widely deployed agentic systems become, and on whether payment and asset infrastructure actually gets built for them.