Circle co-founder Jeremy Allaire argues that onchain finance and software-native money are essential infrastructure for the emerging agentic economy.
AI & Agents ·
Jeremy Allaire, co-founder of Circle, has argued that the emerging agentic economy requires software-native money, contracts, and governance systems, positioning onchain finance as essential infrastructure for artificial intelligence. The statement reflects Circle's broader strategic positioning around USDC and blockchain-based financial systems as foundational technology layers for autonomous agent economies.
Circle issues USDC, a regulated stablecoin backed 1:1 by cash and U.S. Treasury securities with monthly third-party attestations. The company has pursued regulatory approval and institutional trust as a core differentiator, distinct from competitors operating with minimal disclosure. Allaire's framing connects this infrastructure directly to the operational requirements of AI agents that would transact autonomously onchain.
The argument remains largely a forward-looking thesis about how agent-based systems will require native digital money and smart contract capabilities. Circle's product roadmap—including Arc, its Layer-1 blockchain for stablecoin finance, and expanded settlement networks—appears aligned with this vision, though concrete use cases demonstrating demand from agentic systems have not yet materialized at scale.