AI Agents Use Crypto for Financial Transactions, Fueling Rise of Agentic Finance

AI agents are evolving beyond chatbots and investment assistants. They can now autonomously search, make payments and manage assets within spending limits, permissions and objectives set by humans, giving rise to “agentic finance.” First Digital CEO Vincent Chok sees stablecoins, blockchains and wallets becoming a programmable financial back end that operates around the clock.

CoinDesk published Chok's analysis on April 23, 2026. It cited a PwC survey of more than 300 companies in which 79% said they had adopted AI agents in some form. Current uses include cross-chain swaps, DeFi yield optimization and machine-to-machine micropayments, although actual transaction values were not disclosed. Agent transaction volumes, dedicated wallets and regulatory developments will be key areas to watch over the next 12 months.