Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong said artificial intelligence will make cryptocurrency more important, arguing that autonomous AI agents will need programmable digital payment systems to operate independently.

In posts published on July 26 and July 27, including on X at https://x.com/brian_armstrong/status/2081504081902780564?s=20, Armstrong said crypto can provide the financial rails required by autonomous software. He also pointed to Coinbase’s work on Agentic Finance, or AiFi, through Base, USDC, and the x402 protocol for machine-to-machine transactions.

Armstrong Rejects AI-Versus-Crypto Framing

Armstrong rejected the view that crypto participants should shift away from blockchain technology in favor of artificial intelligence. He described cryptocurrency as infrastructure comparable to the internet or electricity, saying it can support new technologies rather than compete with them.

According to Armstrong, the rise of AI as a major technology trend increases the importance of crypto. He said autonomous AI agents are likely to process more financial transactions than humans over time and will require programmable digital money to do so.

Armstrong added that AI agents cannot open bank accounts, wait several days for wire transfers, or function efficiently within traditional banking systems. For that reason, he said cryptocurrency provides the type of financial infrastructure these software systems need. The argument centers on payment rails that software can access directly, with transactions that can be initiated, verified, and settled through code rather than through manual banking processes.

Coinbase Details Agentic Finance Strategy

Armstrong said Coinbase is building infrastructure for what it calls Agentic Finance, or AiFi. Under that framework, AI agents would eventually be able to hold funds, pay for services, trade assets, borrow capital, and manage financial tasks without direct human involvement.

He said Coinbase already supports this direction through the x402 payment protocol, Base, and USDC. Armstrong stated that these technologies currently power most agentic payments.

The x402 protocol is designed to enable machine-to-machine payments using blockchain technology. Base provides faster blockchain transactions, while USDC functions as the payment asset used within the system. In this model, stablecoin payments are used as a programmable settlement layer for automated services, while Base supplies the blockchain network where those transactions can occur.

AI Payments Remain a Coinbase Focus

Armstrong also said AI agents could automate portfolio rebalancing, tax planning, bill payments, and project financing. According to him, these activities require payment systems that are always available, rather than traditional banking infrastructure with operational limits and settlement delays.

Coinbase has continued to present artificial intelligence and cryptocurrency as complementary technologies throughout 2026. Armstrong said the company’s focus remains on building financial infrastructure that enables autonomous software to transact without human intervention.

He described Agentic Finance as the direction Coinbase is pursuing as artificial intelligence expands further into financial applications. The key issue to watch is whether AI-driven software can use these systems in real commercial workflows, including small automated payments between applications, services, and digital wallets.