BlackRock Examines AI Payments, Tokenized Assets and Compute

BlackRock Digital Assets Research released a report titled 'The Machine-Native Economy' exploring the intersection of autonomous AI agents, blockchain infrastructure, and tokenized financial assets. The research highlights how AI systems could independently manage payments, access tokenized securities, and trade computing capacity using blockchain-based settlement. BlackRock identifies stablecoins as a primary mechanism for machine-to-machine transactions, noting that stablecoin volume reached over $11 trillion in 2025. The firm examines emerging protocols like x402, the Machine Payments Protocol, and the Agentic Commerce Protocol to facilitate these automated financial interactions. Furthermore, the report suggests that computing power could be tokenized or financed through digital contracts, potentially creating a new market for GPU-backed assets. While acknowledging the potential for increased utility, BlackRock emphasizes that widespread adoption remains contingent on solving complex challenges regarding identity, KYC/AML compliance, and regulatory frameworks like MiCA. This research underscores BlackRock's strategic focus on integrating digital assets into the broader financial ecosystem as AI-driven commerce matures.