Grayscale reports that the artificial intelligence-focused crypto sector gained 54% in September, outperforming the broader cryptocurrency market's 24% advance over the same period.

Despite the strong rally, the sector remains the smallest of six crypto categories, with an estimated size of roughly $15 billion.

In its report, Grayscale sees potential for blockchain networks to support AI agents through payments, identity, private computing, and verifiable data, with $NEAR, Bittensor, World, and Venice among the leading projects in the space.

Artificial intelligence has become an increasingly significant force across technology markets, and crypto is positioning itself around a distinct part of that transformation. According to Grayscale, the AI crypto sector's 54% September gain was more than double the 24% advance recorded by the broader crypto market.

Grayscale highlighted the sector's monthly performance in a post on X:

September belonged to crypto x artificial intelligence (AI): $NEAR up 183%$VVV up 70%$WLD up 47%$TAO up 37%

Grayscale's Artificial Intelligence Crypto Sector returned 54% for the month, versus 24% for the broader crypto market. The move may reflect growing interest in… pic.twitter.com/OtdJYPgOa5

— Grayscale (@Grayscale) October 2, 2026

According to the report, public blockchains can complement centralized AI systems by supplying infrastructure that conventional platforms may struggle to provide on their own. Blockchain networks can enable machine-to-machine payments, decentralized identity, private computation, and verifiable records, creating new rails for autonomous software agents.

The opportunity remains at a relatively early stage. Even after September's strong performance, Grayscale estimates the AI sector at approximately $15 billion, making it the smallest of the six crypto sectors tracked by the firm. That limited size also leaves room for individual networks to capture meaningful market share if blockchain-based AI applications gain adoption.

Grayscale Identifies Key AI Crypto Projects

Several tokens recorded substantial gains during September, reflecting growing investor attention toward crypto infrastructure connected to artificial intelligence. $NEAR rose 183%, while Bittensor gained 37%, World advanced 47%, and Venice climbed 70% — the same moves Grayscale's post tracked under the $NEAR, $TAO, $WLD, and $VVV tickers.

$NEAR is developing infrastructure aimed at agentic commerce, in which autonomous software can interact with applications and conduct transactions. Bittensor takes a decentralized approach to AI by connecting specialized networks focused on areas such as inference, data, and computing resources.

World focuses on digital proof of human identity, an issue that becomes increasingly relevant as AI-generated content and autonomous agents expand online. Venice, meanwhile, provides an AI chatbot designed around privacy, allowing users to interact with models without their prompts or responses being stored.

These different approaches illustrate how crypto and AI can intersect across multiple layers, rather than through a single application category. Payments, identity, computing, and data verification could all become relevant as autonomous agents perform more tasks without direct human intervention.

Blockchain Infrastructure Could Support the Agent Economy

Grayscale expects the AI crypto sector to potentially produce one or more major projects over the next five years, although the report also emphasizes that the market remains small and developing.

The broader thesis is that autonomous agents will need infrastructure capable of operating across open digital environments. Blockchains already provide programmable settlement, transparent records, and token-based incentives, giving developers tools to build systems in which software can transact and coordinate independently.

Within that five-year horizon, the report's framing points to a concrete set of developments to follow: whether machine-to-machine payments, decentralized identity, private computation, and verifiable records move from concept toward measurable usage, since Grayscale ties the sector's room for growth to adoption of blockchain-based AI applications rather than to its current $15 billion footprint.

Source: CryptoNewsNet