Banks are becoming a thing of the past: why AI agents will bet on blockchain
The financial system is on the brink of a tectonic shift. In the coming years, a significant portion of the global economy will operate without direct human involvement. And the key role in this process will be played not by classical banks, but by crypto infrastructure capable of providing speed and scalability that traditional institutions cannot match.
Why Algorithms Reject the Banking Model
The logic of this transition is obvious and based on demographics. Western economies are stagnating due to a shrinking working-age population and aging. States are forced to issue new money to cover debts, which inevitably devalues savings. The only way out is to create a new "workforce" from algorithms.
AI agents can execute millions of operations per second, but they need adequate financial tools. Traditional banks are categorically unsuitable for this. A program physically cannot open an account due to bureaucratic identity verification procedures. The minimum bank payment is limited to one cent, while agents require microtransactions for each data request. An international transfer through a chain of intermediaries takes days and often stalls on weekends.
Blockchain operates by completely different rules. A transfer abroad takes seconds, any amount can be divided into the necessary number of parts, and the system runs around the clock. Digital money is programmable: funds are debited automatically when specified conditions are met. A human is no longer needed to conduct an operation—value shifts toward base protocols.
Tokenization and the New Data Economy
The second key element of this transformation is tokenization. Any asset is converted into a machine-friendly format: dollars become stablecoins, and personal data becomes a valuable commodity. Previously, vast arrays of information had no value due to the absence of a buyer. Now, demand is driven by billions of AI agents that need data to make precise decisions. Thus, a completely new global market is born.
The most radical changes will occur in the sphere of population income. A salary has always been payment for time spent, but automation is gradually eliminating the scarcity of human labor. The main scarcity becomes unique qualities: genuine trust, individual taste, and reputation. Income will concentrate among owners of technological infrastructure.
My analysis: The thesis about the incompatibility of the banking system with the needs of AI agents is absolutely justified. However, investors should remember: the transition to an "algorithm economy" will create not only new opportunities but also serious risks for traditional asset valuation models. Those who position themselves in advance in infrastructure projects with high throughput will come out ahead.