SharpLink CEO Says Ethereum Will Tokenize All Assets, AI Agents to Transform Finance

Joseph Chalom, CEO of SharpLink, said Ethereum will fundamentally reshape financial infrastructure.

Speaking at the ETHCapital Summit hosted by EtherGas at the Raum Art Center in Seoul's Gangnam district on August 15, Chalom said the $700 trillion traditional financial market still depends on an inefficient next-day settlement system. He said Ethereum-based instant settlement and programmable features will become the new global standard for finance.

Chalom identified the agent economy as a trend that will change the paradigm of financial markets. Younger generations trust code and software more than traditional in-person financial services, he said, adding that all digital wallets will carry AI agent functions by next year.

He said AI agents will eventually rebalance portfolios in real time around the clock on behalf of users and lend idle assets to maximize returns. Ethereum's micropayment standard and trusted-agent registration standard will support that shift, he added. Chalom also said Ethereum is the only blockchain that meets institutional requirements for security.

Chalom also expressed optimism about regulatory changes in South Korea. He said passage of the Digital Asset Basic Act in the second half of the year, along with the introduction of a won-denominated stablecoin, will mark a turning point for financial innovation in the country. If AI agents manage won-denominated stablecoins and tokenized assets in real time, the democratization of financial services will accelerate, he said.

He also said Ethereum should establish itself as a standalone product rather than a complementary asset to Bitcoin. Looking ahead, the ecosystem should focus on improving throughput, protecting privacy and building quantum resistance against threats from quantum computing, he said.

Finally, Chalom said blockchain technology will need a highly advanced user experience to reach the mainstream, to the point where users no longer notice the underlying technology. If AI agents handle complex financial transactions, retail investors will be able to access fast and secure financial services without thinking about blockchain, he said. Performance-enhancement solutions such as EtherGas will play a key role in realizing Ethereum's vision, he added.