BlackRock sees a new $5 trillion AI trade emerging for stablecoins

According to CryptoSlate, BlackRock released a report titled The Machine-Native Economy, which outlines how autonomous artificial intelligence systems could drive high-frequency payments. The asset manager states that AI agents purchasing data, software, and computing resources without human approval could create a new class of stablecoin customers.

BlackRock reported that stablecoins had about $11.2 trillion in adjusted transaction volume in 2025, growing at an 80% compound annual rate between 2020 and 2025. While traditional rails like the US Automated Clearing House processed $93 trillion last year, stablecoins offer programmable wallets that suit small, round-the-clock machine payments.

Payment companies and protocols are currently competing over machine-native transactions. Coinbase's x402 protocol, Stripe, Tempo, and OpenAI are developing agentic payment systems, alongside traditional standards from Google and Visa. Furthermore, blockchain networks like Ethereum face the challenge of proving whether rising stablecoin activity translates into value for native assets. Cumulative investments in AI infrastructure could exceed $5 trillion between 2025 and 2030, potentially expanding the market for autonomous machine commerce.