Coinbase CEO: AI Will Drive Explosive Cryptocurrency Demand, Building "Agent Finance" AiFi System

Coinbase Co-founder and CEO Brian Armstrong (@brian_armstrong) stated in a post that cryptocurrency and AI are not in a competitive relationship, but are complementary infrastructure. AI agents cannot open bank accounts or wait for wire transfers to arrive, inherently requiring real-time programmable cryptocurrency as payment tools, and their future daily trading volume will far exceed the combined total of all humans. Armstrong pointed out that Coinbase has already taken the lead in the agent payment sector through the x402 protocol, Base chain, and USDC, currently supporting the vast majority of agent payment scenarios, and defines this direction as "Agent Finance (AiFi)," continuing to advance it as a core strategic direction for Coinbase.