AI Agents May Prioritize Crypto Over Traditional Banking

Changpeng Zhao, founder of Binance, believes that AI agents will use crypto-powered finance before traditional banks are ready for machine-driven payments. He made this argument in an interview with Galaxy Research, released on June 18, 2026.

Zhao argues that digital assets can become the financial rail for autonomous software, citing the example of Hyperliquid. This is not just a speculative idea, but has a financial-inclusion angle as well. According to the World Bank's Global Findex Database 2025, about 1.3 billion adults remain outside the formal financial system.

A permissionless, internet-native payment system could serve both autonomous AI agents and people excluded from traditional banking. Zhao believes that AI agents will need a payment layer that moves at software speed, which crypto already offers. He has made this argument before, stating that 'The native currency for AI agents is going to be crypto.'