Artificial intelligence has become one of the largest investment themes of the decade, with institutional capital flowing into semiconductor companies, cloud providers, and data center operators. However, Franklin Templeton believes investors may be overlooking another sector that could benefit significantly from AI’s next evolution: blockchain and cryptocurrencies.
Sandy Kaul, Franklin Templeton’s Head of Digital Assets and Industry Advisory Services, claims in a post that the rise of agentic AI could create a major opportunity for blockchain networks and digital assets as autonomous AI systems begin transacting with one another.
Unlike today’s generative AI models that respond to prompts, agentic AI can operate independently. These systems can make decisions, complete tasks, and interact with software and services with minimal human involvement. Franklin Templeton believes this shift could fundamentally change how value moves across the internet.
Agentic AI Could Create a Multi-Trillion-Dollar Opportunity
The firm’s research points to agentic commerce becoming a market worth between $3 trillion and $5 trillion by 2030. Per the report, 38% of organizations could have AI agents working alongside humans by 2028, while AI agents could handle up to 15% of day-to-day business decisions.
These autonomous systems will handle tasks such as purchasing computing power, paying for API calls, accessing datasets, and managing software workflows. Many of these interactions will involve micropayments that traditional financial infrastructure was never designed to support.
Kaul highlighted that a typical credit card transaction carries fees of roughly 2% to 3% plus an additional flat fee of about $0.30. By comparison, an AI agent may only need to spend approximately $0.001 to purchase a single second of computing power or perform a data query. Existing payment rails simply become inefficient when transaction costs exceed the value being transferred.
This is where blockchain technology may play an increasingly important role.
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Why Blockchain Could Become AI’s Payment Infrastructure
Franklin Templeton’s Kaul argues that blockchain networks possess several characteristics that make them particularly well suited for machine-to-machine commerce.
Public blockchains offer programmable payments, cryptographic identity verification, immutable transaction records, and near-instant settlement capabilities. AI agents can use these networks to securely hold, send, and receive value without relying on banks or traditional payment processors.
The report also highlights the significant improvements in blockchain performance over recent years. While Bitcoin processes roughly seven transactions per second and Ethereum around 75, newer networks have achieved much higher throughput. Aptos has recorded speeds of 12,933 transactions per second, Solana 6,284 transactions per second, and BNB Chain 3,252 transactions per second.
These figures place modern blockchain networks within the same range as Visa’s operational capacity of approximately 1,700 to 10,000 transactions per second. The difference is that blockchain transactions are both recorded and settled during that window, whereas traditional payment networks may take one to three business days to complete settlement.
As autonomous AI systems become more common, Kaul believes that blockchain networks could provide the infrastructure necessary to facilitate billions of low-cost transactions between machines.
Why Crypto Assets Could Benefit From AI Adoption
Franklin Templeton’s investment thesis extends beyond blockchain infrastructure itself. The firm believes cryptocurrencies and altcoins could become direct beneficiaries of increased AI adoption.
The report claimed that every blockchain transaction requires payment in the network’s native cryptocurrency. As AI agents increasingly transact on-chain, demand for these digital assets could rise alongside transaction volumes.
Higher network activity may also strengthen blockchain ecosystems by increasing treasury revenues. More revenue improves funds allocated to developer grants, security initiatives, and application development. This creates the potential for a flywheel effect where more activity attracts more developers, leading to additional applications and broader adoption.
Kaul further suggests that Web3 applications could gradually capture market share from traditional Web2 platforms by offering ownership models and financial incentives that are difficult to replicate in centralized ecosystems.
Importantly, she believes users may not even realize they are interacting with blockchain technology in the future. AI agents could handle payments and wallet management behind the scenes, allowing consumers to enjoy a seamless experience while benefiting from decentralized infrastructure.
For years, investors seeking AI exposure have primarily focused on chipmakers and cloud infrastructure providers like Nvidia. Franklin Templeton suggests that the next phase of AI adoption may create opportunities elsewhere. If agentic AI develops as expected, blockchain networks and the cryptocurrencies that power them could become an increasingly important part of the AI investment narrative in the years ahead.
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The CoinRemark Team
