CZ Says AI Will Make 1 Million Times More Payments Than Humans

• CZ predicts AI agents will make far more payments than humans.
• Crypto wallets could become the primary payment tool for AI systems.
• BNB Chain upgrade enables automated crypto payments for AI agents.

Changpeng Zhao, widely known as CZ, recently argued that AI agents could eventually make far more payments than humans. According to him, these automated systems will likely rely on cryptocurrency to operate.

“AI agents will make one million times more payments than humans, and they will use crypto,” CZ wrote in a post on X.

His comments came as the BNB Chain announced a technical upgrade that could make it easier for AI systems to send payments.

Why AI Needs a Different Payment System

AI agents are designed to act independently, completing tasks such as managing data, executing trades, or interacting with digital services. However, traditional financial systems are not built for autonomous software.

For example, AI agents cannot easily use credit cards, bank transfers, or payment systems that require human approval. These systems also introduce delays and extra costs, especially when many small transactions are involved. This is where cryptocurrency could play a BIG role.

CZ has previously described crypto as “the native currency for autonomous systems.” Blockchain networks allow software programs to send payments instantly using digital wallets without requiring banks or human intermediaries.

BNB Chain Upgrade Aims to Support AI Payments

BNB Chain recently introduced an update that enables the stablecoin $U to support EIP-3009, a feature that allows payments to be authorized using cryptographic signatures.

This means an AI agent can approve a transaction off-chain and then execute it on the blockchain without needing to hold gas tokens or wait for manual confirmation.

Supporters believe this system could enable millions of automated micro-transactions between AI agents, something that traditional payment infrastructure struggles to handle.

Coinbase CEO Shares Similar View

Brian Armstrong shared a similar idea, saying AI agents could soon become a major source of blockchain activity.

“Very soon there are going to be more AI agents than humans making transactions,” Armstrong said. While AI systems cannot open bank accounts, he said that they can easily control a crypto wallet.

Additionally, according to reports, Nvidia is preparing to launch an open-source AI agent platform called NemoClaw, designed to help enterprises deploy autonomous AI agents across their workforces.

Related: CZ Says AI Agents Could Dominate Payments Using Crypto