Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong believes the rise of artificial intelligence will accelerate, rather than replace, cryptocurrency adoption. Speaking about the future of agentic finance (AiFi), Armstrong highlighted Base, USDC, and x402 as the core infrastructure enabling autonomous AI-powered payments.
His comments come as Base, Coinbase's Ethereum Layer-2 network, surpassed 100 million AI-related payment transactions, signaling growing adoption of blockchain technology for machine-to-machine financial interactions.
Brian Armstrong: AI Needs Crypto, Not Traditional Banking
In a post on X, Armstrong dismissed the idea that the crypto industry should shift its focus entirely toward artificial intelligence.
Instead, he argued that AI agents will require programmable digital money capable of executing transactions without relying on traditional banking systems.
"AI being a megatrend takes nothing away from crypto," Armstrong said, adding that autonomous AI systems will increasingly depend on blockchain networks for payments, financial services, and digital commerce.
According to Armstrong, the growth of AI makes cryptocurrency infrastructure even more valuable by enabling secure, instant, and borderless machine-to-machine transactions.
How Coinbase's AiFi Ecosystem Works
Coinbase's vision for Agentic Finance (AiFi) combines three key technologies:
Base – Coinbase's Ethereum Layer-2 blockchain launched in 2023 to provide faster and lower-cost onchain transactions.
x402 – A payment protocol based on the HTTP 402 Payment Required standard, allowing AI agents and software applications to make automated stablecoin payments.
USDC – The dollar-backed stablecoin used to facilitate fast, programmable digital payments between autonomous systems.
Together, these technologies allow AI agents to purchase APIs, datasets, digital services, and other online resources without requiring traditional payment methods or manual user interaction.
Base Records Over 100 Million Agentic Payment Transactions
According to blockchain analytics firm Chainalysis, AI-driven payments on Base through x402 exceeded 100 million transactions within roughly nine months.
Chainalysis tracked these transactions by monitoring x402-related payment flows onchain, noting that transfers worth at least $1 represented approximately 95% of the total payment volume.
At the time of writing, the x402scan analytics dashboard reported:
The rapid growth highlights increasing adoption of blockchain infrastructure for AI-powered financial applications.
Source: Chainalysis
Coinbase Prepares to Report Q2 Earnings
Coinbase is scheduled to release its second-quarter earnings on Thursday.
According to analyst estimates compiled by Yahoo Finance, the company is expected to report approximately $1.29 billion in revenue, representing a 13.8% year-over-year decline. Earnings per share are forecast to remain relatively unchanged.
Despite slowing revenue growth, Coinbase continues investing heavily in blockchain infrastructure that supports AI applications, stablecoin payments, and decentralized financial services.
Why This Matters
As artificial intelligence becomes more integrated into the global digital economy, demand for automated, programmable payment systems is expected to rise.
Coinbase's strategy positions Base, USDC, and x402 as the foundation for a new era of machine-to-machine finance, where AI agents can independently pay for services, exchange digital assets, and interact with decentralized applications.
If adoption continues at its current pace, agentic finance could become one of the fastest-growing use cases for blockchain technology over the coming years.
