Franklin Templeton sees AI agents as a major test for crypto payments
Sandy Kaul argues autonomous AI commerce may need blockchain settlement, with Solana, Ethereum and other networks in focus.
By Dev Ramirez · Crypto Correspondent
· 3 min read
Franklin Templeton is making a direct link between the next wave of artificial intelligence and demand for crypto networks. For everyday investors, the point is bigger than AI chip stocks: the firm argues that autonomous software could create payment traffic that older financial systems are not built to handle.
Sandy Kaul, Franklin Templeton’s head of digital assets and innovation, published a paper Tuesday arguing that “agentic AI” could become a major driver of blockchain adoption. Agentic AI means software that can take actions for a user, such as shopping, booking services or making payments, after receiving permission rather than asking for approval at every step.
Franklin Templeton, which manages nearly $1.8 trillion in assets, said in a post that “Blockchain will be pivotal in allowing agentic AI to realize its potential for consumer transactions, and the growth of agentic AI is likely to become the ‘killer’ use case that drives blockchain adoption.”
Why payments are central to the argument
Kaul’s case rests on how AI agents would work in the real economy. A chatbot can answer a question. An AI agent can carry out a multi-step task, including spending money, if a user has authorized it.
The paper cites AI advisory firm Capgemini, which described the shift as moving from a tool that reacts in conversation to a system that can understand its environment, plan and complete tasks without constant human oversight.
If that model becomes common in online shopping, payment systems could face a much higher volume of automated transactions. Kaul cited a Bain & Company forecast that AI agents are expected to represent 15% to 25% of U.S. e-commerce sales by 2030.
Franklin Templeton argues that traditional payment networks were designed around people making purchases at human speed. In its view, a world of AI agents could require faster recording and final settlement of payments. Settlement means the point at which money transfer is completed, not just authorized or logged.
Where blockchains fit
A blockchain is a shared digital ledger that records transactions across a network rather than through a single central bank or card company. Franklin Templeton’s argument is that some blockchains can record and settle payments within the same transaction window, which could make them useful for autonomous software commerce.
The firm contrasted older and newer networks in its post. It said Bitcoin processes about seven transactions per second and Ethereum about 75. It also cited maximum speeds of 12,933 transactions per second on Aptos, 6,284 on Solana and 3,252 on BNB Chain.
Franklin Templeton said those figures compare with Visa’s normal operating range of 1,700 to 10,000 transactions per second. The firm added that the comparison has limits because Visa records a transaction first, while settlement on its network takes one to three business days, according to the post.
Kaul also argued that investors seeking exposure to the economic value created by AI may need to look beyond companies tied directly to AI infrastructure. According to the paper, that includes underlying cryptocurrencies such as Solana and Ethereum, because those networks could benefit if AI-driven payments become a real source of blockchain activity.
This story draws on original reporting from Decrypt.
