Quantum News
Sign InSign Up
Back to News
technology

Stablecoin Firms Bet Big on AI Agent Payments That Barely Exist

Emily Mason
Loading...
1 min read
0 likes
⚡ Quantum Brief
Circle and Stripe are investing heavily in payment infrastructure for autonomous AI agents, envisioning a future where millions of daily microtransactions replace traditional card payments. A Citrini Research report in early March 2026 sparked a 5% single-day drop in Visa, Mastercard, and Amex stocks by suggesting AI agents could bypass card networks, though markets later stabilized. Stablecoins are positioned as the preferred settlement method for AI-driven transactions, offering speed and cost advantages over legacy financial systems. The bet hinges on unproven technology, as fully autonomous AI agents capable of high-volume payments remain theoretical, with no large-scale deployment yet. Industry leaders are racing to dominate this speculative space, despite uncertainty over adoption timelines or whether AI agents will ever achieve the predicted transactional independence.
AI Audio Summary
0:00 / 0:00
Click to play
97f3403c-cafd-4120-938d-c54e631f918d.jpeg
Quantum News · Media Library

Understand this faster with AI

ChatGPTAsk ChatGPTPerplexityResearch with PerplexityClaudeExplain with ClaudeGrokDiscuss on Grok

Connecting decision makers to a dynamic network of information, people and ideas, Bloomberg quickly and accurately delivers business and financial information, news and insight around the worldAmericas+1 212 318 2000EMEA+44 20 7330 7500Asia Pacific+65 6212 1000Connecting decision makers to a dynamic network of information, people and ideas, Bloomberg quickly and accurately delivers business and financial information, news and insight around the worldAmericas+1 212 318 2000EMEA+44 20 7330 7500Asia Pacific+65 6212 1000Circle Internet Group Inc. and Stripe Inc. are racing to build payments systems for a world that doesn’t exist yet — one where autonomous AI agents transact millions of times a day, settling in stablecoins instead of swiping credit cards. Two weeks ago, a Citrini Research scenario imagining AI agents routing around card network fees sent Visa Inc., Mastercard Inc. and American Express Co. shares tumbling as much as 5% in a single session. The selloff faded. The disruption thesis didn’t.

Read Original

Tags

government-funding
partnership

Source Information

Source: Bloomberg Technology

Discussion

0 professional contributions

Sign in to join this professional discussion.

Be the first to add a constructive contribution.