Franklin Templeton Digital Assets Head Says AI Agents Are Next Key Use Case for Blockchain
2026-07-22 13:29
Odaily Planet Daily News: Sandy Kaul, Head of Digital Assets and Innovation at investment management firm Franklin Templeton, stated that the AI agent economy will increase demand for blockchain protocols to facilitate machine-to-machine micropayments. Traditional bank card networks are unsuitable for agent-based payments due to fees and settlement times.
Sandy Kaul pointed out that blockchain networks like Aptos, Solana, and BNB Chain are more suitable for the agent economy, with transactions settling in seconds, faster than the 1 to 3 business day settlement time of the Visa network.
In a joint report, payment company Visa and investment validation platform Artemis stated that traditional bank cards designed for low-frequency human commercial activities are insufficient to support AI agents, which require near-zero fees and faster settlement. Since its launch in May 2025, the x402 payment protocol developed by Coinbase has seen an adjusted transaction volume of $15 million and over 109 million adjusted transactions.
Sandy Kaul pointed out that blockchain networks like Aptos, Solana, and BNB Chain are more suitable for the agent economy, with transactions settling in seconds, faster than the 1 to 3 business day settlement time of the Visa network.
In a joint report, payment company Visa and investment validation platform Artemis stated that traditional bank cards designed for low-frequency human commercial activities are insufficient to support AI agents, which require near-zero fees and faster settlement. Since its launch in May 2025, the x402 payment protocol developed by Coinbase has seen an adjusted transaction volume of $15 million and over 109 million adjusted transactions.
