According to Woofun AI, BlackRock (BLK.US) digital asset research team released "Machine-Native Economy: How Digital Assets Connect Intelligence, Commerce, and Computing Power" on September 22, 2026, asserting that the payment demands of autonomous AI systems are forcing a transformation of financial infrastructure, with stablecoins emerging as the only suitable solution.
The structural mismatch between traditional financial pipelines and machine-to-machine transactions is becoming increasingly prominent. ACH and credit card networks lag in settlement speed, fees, and intermediary layers, making it difficult to meet the high-frequency, low-cost requirements of algorithmic real-time purchases of GPU computing power or data access rights.
In contrast, the stablecoin market is experiencing explosive growth: as of September 2026, circulating supply surpassed $300 billion; adjusted transaction volume exceeded $11 trillion in 2025. Data compiled by Woofun AI shows that since 2020, stablecoin transaction volume has grown at a compound annual rate of approximately 80%, far outpacing ACH's 8.5%.
Additionally, a new class of digital assets linked to tokenized computing power is emerging, although its regulatory rules and market standards are still taking shape. The penetration rate of AI agents in payment protocols is rising rapidly. Analysis by TRM Labs indicates that AI agents currently account for between 0.6% and 7.5% of activity in major payment protocols.
With Amazon (AMZN.US), Microsoft (MSFT.US), and Google (GOOGL.US) expected to achieve combined cloud business revenue of approximately $1.1 trillion by 2030, and cumulative AI infrastructure investment potentially exceeding $5 trillion between 2025 and 2030, the restructuring of the underlying payment logic has become inevitable.
The market landscape is evolving from homogeneity toward functional differentiation. Although Tether's USDT and Circle (CRCL.US) USDC still dominate transaction volume, AI payment scenarios are creating specific demand for deep programmability, cross-chain interoperability, and enterprise-grade compliance features.
It is worth noting that standards for the tokenized computing power market are still being established, and U.S. stablecoin legislation is progressing slowly, leaving complex variables for future regulatory arbitrage and technological iteration.