Asset manager Franklin Templeton believes the next stage of artificial intelligence (AI) development could become a key catalyst for widespread adoption of blockchain technology and cryptocurrencies. According to the firm, autonomous AI agents will drive demand for crypto assets because they’ll need low cost, high speed payment solutions for transactions between software systems.
Sandy Kaul, Head of Digital Assets and Innovation at Franklin Templeton, published an analysis arguing that Agentic AI could become one of the leading use cases for blockchain technology. In her view, a traditional investment strategy focused solely on AI company stocks may prove insufficient. Cryptocurrencies and blockchain project tokens could provide additional upside.
The report says agentic systems represent the next stage in the evolution of AI technologies. Unlike generative models, which primarily create content and respond to user prompts, AI agents will be able to complete complex multi step tasks independently, interact with software services, and make payments without ongoing human involvement.
The report includes several forecasts that support the technology’s potential:
- By 2028, 38% of organizations plan to use AI agents as “team members” alongside human employees.
- The agentic commerce market could reach $3 trillion to $5 trillion by 2030.
- By 2028, 33% of enterprise software applications will include agentic systems, which will also make up to 15% of routine business decisions.
- By 2030, AI agents could account for 15% to 25% of all online sales in the U.S.
Franklin Templeton says widespread adoption of AI agents will require fundamentally new payment infrastructure. Traditional bank card fees average 2% to 3%, plus about $0.30 per transaction, making them unsuitable for micropayments between software applications. Those payments may amount to as little as $0.001 per second of computing time or for an individual database query. That’s why blockchain based payments are viewed as a more suitable alternative for these transactions.
Franklin Templeton identifies several advantages of blockchain infrastructure:
- Automatic execution of smart contracts
- Decentralized digital identity
- Transparency and auditability of transactions
- Access to distributed computing resources
- High transaction processing speed
The report also notes that several blockchain networks already demonstrate high throughput. Aptos processes 12,933 transactions per second, Solana handles 6,284 TPS, and BNB Chain reaches 3,252 TPS. By comparison, Visa’s network can process between 1,700 and 10,000 transactions per second under normal conditions. However, settlement typically takes 1 to 3 business days, while blockchain networks provide near instant confirmation and final settlement.
The analysis also highlights the development of infrastructure for machine to machine payments. Visa and Stripe introduced the Machine Payments Protocol (MPP), while Coinbase developed the x402 standard, which it later transferred to the Linux Foundation as an open industry standard. Major technology companies, along with providers of traditional and Web3 infrastructure, have already adopted the standard.
Franklin Templeton concluded that as the number of autonomous transactions grows, demand for cryptocurrencies and blockchain solutions supporting those transactions will increase. According to the firm’s analysts, that could make digital assets an important component of investment portfolios focused on the growth of Agentic AI.
It’s also worth noting that an earlier joint study by Keyrock, Coinbase, Tempo, and Virtuals found that in 2026, transactions between AI agents created a new segment of the digital payments market, which had already exceeded $73 million. The study also found that 98.6% of all agent to agent payments were made using the USDC stablecoin.
