BlackRock sees a new $5 trillion AI trade emerging for stablecoins
BlackRock’s report argues that autonomous AI agents could become a new source of stablecoin demand by making frequent, tiny payments for data, software and computing without human approval. Stablecoins already exceed $300 billion in circulation, but machine payments remain nascent, and traditional payment firms are developing competing infrastructure. Stablecoins may suit software-native, low-value transactions, while established rails could serve commerce with existing businesses. More activity may benefit issuers and blockchains, but it will not necessarily increase demand for native tokens such as ETH; value capture depends on fees, staking and gas models. BlackRock also envisages future markets for trading or hedging computing capacity, though that remains speculative.
