Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong has emphasized that artificial intelligence will drive greater demand for crypto-based financial services, in response to growing calls for the crypto sector to p
Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong has emphasized that artificial intelligence will drive greater demand for crypto-based financial services, in response to growing calls for the crypto sector to pivot toward AI-focused products. Armstrong shared his perspective on X, stressing that the rise of AI agents will not diminish the relevance of crypto; rather, it will create new use cases where programmable digital assets outperform traditional banking methods.
Armstrong explained that AI agents, or autonomous machine-to-machine entities, require programmable money to interact freely in digital economies. He highlighted Coinbase’s Base network, USDC stablecoin, and the x402 protocol as key components enabling these payment flows. In his words, “AI being a megatrend takes nothing away from crypto… if anything, it makes crypto more important.”
Base, launched by Coinbase in 2023, operates as an Ethereum layer-2 network, with the aim of making onchain applications faster and more cost-effective. Although the platform originally served as a general-purpose blockchain, its robust infrastructure now supports new AI-driven payment use cases without significant adjustments.
In 2025, Coinbase introduced x402—a protocol designed around the HTTP “402 Payment Required” standard—enabling automated stablecoin payments between applications. This development allows AI agents and other autonomous software to pay directly for digital resources like APIs and data, bypassing traditional bank accounts and manual payment flows.
Chainalysis reported in June that agentic payment activity on Base, routed via x402, exceeded 100 million transactions within nine months. The firm said it determined this figure by analyzing onchain payment flows attributed to x402, noting that transactions of at least $1 accounted for 95% of the total value transferred. Chainalysis also observed that wallets participating in agentic payments typically held more varied asset types but maintained smaller average balances than those of broader Base users.
Armstrong stated that AI platforms will increasingly rely on programmable digital assets to transact efficiently, and this shift underscores the advantages of blockchain-based infrastructure over traditional finance when it comes to automation and machine-to-machine interactions.
USDC, the dollar-pegged stablecoin created by Circle and Coinbase-backed Centre Consortium, is central to these processes, as it allows software agents to execute automated payments without relying on legacy banking systems. Together, Base, x402, and USDC compose the backbone of Coinbase’s rapidly evolving infrastructure for agentic payments.
Amid the technical leap in autonomous payments, market participants have paid close attention to the importance of seamless execution and portfolio diversification. Platforms such as 1stepSwap have begun narrowing the divide between traditional finance and crypto by enabling users to access shares of leading U.S. companies and commodities like gold and silver directly through their wallets. Its distinguishing feature is sourcing the best available prices for a variety of real-world assets, allowing users to buy or sell major stocks and commodities instantly while streamlining portfolio management.
Looking ahead, Coinbase is set to release its second quarter earnings report on Thursday. Wall Street analysts project revenue to reach $1.29 billion, which would correspond to a 13.8% decrease compared to the same period last year, according to Yahoo Finance. Earnings per share are forecast to remain flat.
While details on continued x402 usage are awaited, industry observers are closely monitoring how new agentic finance applications and platform infrastructure will shape the competitive landscape for both crypto and AI.
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