AI agents and large corporates will lead the next stablecoin boom, executives say

AI agents and large corporates will lead the next stablecoin boom, executives say Stablecoins are entering a new phase of adoption, with large corporations using them for cross-border treasury flows while AI agents begin using blockchain rails for autonomous payments, Bridge and Deus X Capital executives said at Consensus 2026. What to know: - Bridge executive Lindsey Einhaus said large corporations are increasingly exploring stablecoins for treasury and cross-border payments. - AI-powered micropayments may become a major new use case as stablecoin rails reduce transaction costs. - Deus X Capital CEO Tim Grant said institutions are now "pulling" toward crypto infrastructure as regulation improves, but challenges like fragmented rails persist. Large corporations looking to modernize payments and AI agents making autonomous transactions are emerging as the two biggest growth drivers for stablecoins, executives of Bridge and Deus X Capital said Thursday at Consensus 2026 in Miami. Lindsey Einhaus — who leads strategy and operations at stablecoin infrastructure firm Bridge, which was acquired by Stripe for $1.1 billion — said the next two years will likely bring a wave of institutional stablecoin adoption, especially for cross-border payments and internal treasury operations. "Large institutions are looking to utilize stablecoins to manage cross-border flows and really collapse a lot of their account management into stablecoins," Einhaus said. She pointed to payment-focused blockchains like Tempo, backed by Stripe and Paradigm, as key enablers for broader adoption. Existing blockchains historically lacked features common in traditional payments systems, such as refunds, chargebacks and private transactions, she argued. The next growth area may come from AI-powered micropayments. According to Einhaus, blockchain-based stablecoin rails could finally make tiny internet payments economically viable by removing costly intermediaries and reducing transaction fees. Historically, micropayments failed because transaction costs often exceeded the value being transferred, while crypto payments introduced price volatility that discouraged spending. "With stablecoin-native blockchains, you’re going to dramatically reduce transaction costs," she said. Tim Grant, CEO of Deus X Capital, said agentic payments — autonomous AI systems transacting with each other — may become one of the strongest crypto use cases yet, partly because consumers intuitively understand the need for machines to move money online. "We’re underestimating the agentic payment boom that’s about to happen," Grant said. At the same time, he cautioned that the infrastructure remains fragmented across multiple blockchains and wallets, while regulation around autonomous financial activity is still evolving. Grant struck a more cautious tone overall on the pace of stablecoin adoption. While he was optimistic in the long term, he argued that the industry still faces hurdles around regulation, consumer onboarding and institutional coordination. Still, he acknowledged that institutional sentiment has shifted meaningfully as regulators become more supportive. "Before, you had to push institutions to pay attention," Grant said. "Now they’re pulling." More For You Coinbax took the top spot at Consensus Miami with software built to add compliance controls to onchain payments. What to know: - Coinbax won the $20,000 grand prize at Consensus Miami’s PitchFest for its programmable escrow system that helps banks manage compliance for stablecoin payments. - The startup’s software uses smart contracts to hold funds in escrow while third-party services perform identity, sanctions and transaction-risk checks before releasing payments onchain. - Founded in October...