Hashed CEO Says Digital Assets to Become Core Financial Infrastructure in AI Era [SEABW 2026]

"The crypto industry has spent the past decade racing to win human users. But going forward, the most natural users may not be humans at all. They may be AI agents."

Hashed Chief Executive Officer Kim Seo-jun said the convergence of artificial intelligence and digital assets will create a new structure for the internet economy. As AI agents begin buying data, making payments and participating directly in markets, digital assets will serve as core financial infrastructure, he said.

Speaking in a keynote address at Southeast Asia Blockchain Week 2026 at Bangkok's Iconsiam on May 20, Kim said AI agents are evolving beyond simple software into a new class of economic actor. A shift in internet users would also reshape finance and market structure, he said.

Kim said AI has recently advanced beyond passive tools that answer questions into action-based systems that can carry out real tasks. AI agents are beginning to call APIs on their own, analyze data, read markets and execute tasks, he said.

"The moment software begins to act, it needs money, trust and authority," Kim said. "From that point, AI is no longer just a tool. It starts operating as an economic actor." He added that transactions between AI agents could become a major new market.

Kim said stablecoins and on-chain markets will become increasingly important in that process. AI agents need digital-asset infrastructure that supports programmable payments because they must be able to buy data and use computing resources without bank accounts or credit cards, he said.

"The AI economy doesn't wait for international remittance times," Kim said. "A 24-hour on-chain financial system is a much better fit for the AI era." He added that what has been a difficult crypto user experience for humans could become the most efficient environment for AI agents.

Kim said four elements will be critical for an AI-based internet economy to function: identity, money, markets and governance. The digital-asset industry has already spent the past decade building those four layers, he said. The combination of AI and digital assets will open a new internet economy, he added.