Sandy Kaul: The AI agent economy will drive demand for blockchain payments

Franklin Templeton's Head of Digital Assets and Innovation, Sandy Kaul, stated that the AI agent economy will increase the demand for blockchain protocols to facilitate machine-to-machine micropayments, as traditional bank card networks are unsuitable for agent-based payments due to fees and settlement times. Sandy Kaul pointed out that blockchain networks such as Aptos, Solana, and BNB Chain can settle transactions within seconds, which is much faster than the 1 to 3 business days typically required by certain exchange networks. According to a report by an exchange and Artemis, traditional bank cards are insufficient to support AI agents, which require near-zero fees and faster settlements. Since the launch of the x402 payment protocol developed by the exchange in May 2025, the adjusted transaction volume has reached $15 million, with more than 109 million adjusted transactions completed.