AI agents and large corporates will lead the next stablecoin boom, executives say
Stablecoins are entering a new phase of adoption, with large corporations using them for cross-border treasury flows while AI agents begin using blockchain rails for autonomous payments, Bridge and Deus X Capital executives said at Consensus 2026.
What to know:
- Bridge executive Lindsey Einhaus said large corporations are increasingly exploring stablecoins for treasury and cross-border payments.
- AI-powered micropayments may become a major new use case as stablecoin rails reduce transaction costs.
- Deus X Capital CEO Tim Grant said institutions are now “pulling” toward crypto infrastructure as regulation improves, but challenges like fragmented rails persist.
“Large institutions are looking to utilize stablecoins to manage cross-border flows and really collapse a lot of their account management into stablecoins,” Einhaus said.
She pointed to payment-focused blockchains like Tempo, backed by Stripe and Paradigm, as key enablers for broader adoption. Existing blockchains historically lacked features common in traditional payments systems, such as refunds, chargebacks and private transactions, she argued.
The next growth area may come from AI-powered micropayments.
According to Einhaus, blockchain-based stablecoin rails could finally make tiny internet payments economically viable by removing costly intermediaries and reducing transaction fees. Historically, micropayments failed because transaction costs often exceeded the value being transferred, while crypto payments introduced price volatility that discouraged spending.
