Forget retail traders: The real multi-trillion-dollar crypto future is building infrastructure for machines

2 min readMake preferred on ShareShare this articleCopy linkX iconX (Twitter)LinkedInFacebookEmailMake preferred on thinks AI software agents will run the entirety of global commerce within the next five years. (Olivier Acuna/CoinDesk)SummaryShowSingapore-based startup Stables is building AI-native payment middleware to route stablecoin transactions across Asia’s fragmented cross-border trade infrastructure.CEO Bernardo Bilotta says the real growth opportunity is in machine-to-machine payments, as AI agents increasingly move money on behalf of businesses rather than human retail users.By embedding an Anthropic Model Context Protocol server into payment rails, Stables aims to let autonomous software handle compliance, FX and settlement for a share of a B2B e-commerce market projected to top $28.9 trillion in Asia-Pacific this year.With 60% of stablecoin payments flowing through a fragmented Asian corridor, new backend middleware lets autonomous software move capital without human steps. This is the aim of Stables, which is introducing a universal AI payment plug into Asia's multi-trillion dollar trade ecosystem to bypass legacy cross-border fragmented infrastructure. Singapore-based Stables targets a massive region where roughly 60% of the global stablecoin payments take place. Conversely, however, the zone remains the most fragmented and undeserved. . Last year, globally, stablecoins moved $35 trillion, a figure that could exceed $700 trillion by 2035. The staggering volume surge highlights a deeper shift in global trade. Stables CEO and co-founder Bernardo Bilotta argues that the actual growth vector in the region is no longer human-to-human retail volume, which is true on a global scale. The real opportunity, he added, lies building specialized rails for automated machines. "Between now and the next five years, I think the entirety of commerce will be moving through AI agents," Bilotta said in an video interview with CoinDesk. "We're entering a world where money won't only move between people and businesses. It will increasingly move through software and AI systems acting on their behalf." Many experts share Bilotta’s AI agent outlook, including Charles Hoskinson, founder and CEO of Cardano’s Input Output, who said that by 2035 they will become more relevant than humans. The macro numbers support his stance. Data from the U.S. International Trade Administration via Trade.gov shows that business-to-business (B2B) e-commerce across the broader Asia-Pacific region is expanding at a 15% annual clip, with market values projected to climb past $28.9 trillion by the end of this year. Yet, despite that explosive growth, the plumbing underneath remains broken. The problem is fundamentally an issue of legacy infrastructure and compliance, Bilotta noted. Global financial regulations, banking protocols and identity verification checks were built strictly for humans. An autonomous AI software agent cannot pass a standard compliance check, he said or execute a payment loop unless a human manually intervenes to clear the transaction. To bridge this structural gap, the industry requires a compliant backend middleware that acts as a universal interpreter. Bilotta explained that by dropping an Anthropic-standard Model Context Protocol (MCP) server directly into the payment infrastructure, software agents can programmatically navigate compliance, pull real-time FX quotes, and settle transactions natively across borders without human steps. While institutional gatekeepers like Stripe and Mastercard have spent billions acquiring fiat-to-crypto APIs to secure traditional corporate treasuries, the automated machine-to-machine economy across emerging corridors remains heavily underserved. "The next phase of stablecoin adoption won't be driven by crypto traders," Bilotta concludes. "It will be driven by businesses, fintechs, and eventually AI systems moving real money in the real economy." 1Three Fed signals that could make bitcoin pop15 minutes ago2UNI token surges while rest of crypto market looks to Fed's Warsh for guidance53 minutes ago3BitGo offers Europe’s crypto firms a MiCA-compliance lifeline as license deadline looms4 hours ago4Forget the price charts. Here's how bitcoin and S&P 500 look like when adjusted for the money printer4 hours ago5Crypto PAC's $12 million Senate candidate, Barry Moore, wins Alabama GOP primary 5 hours ago6Live markets: Markets turn their focus to the Fed as oil returns to pre-war levels6 hours ago7XRP gives back breakout gains, slipping below $1.23 on heavy selling6 hours ago8Uniswap jumps 22% and altcoins rip while bitcoin stalls before the Fed6 hours ago9Here is why Strategy's dividend-paying crypto stock is crashing to near-historic lows13 hours ago10Bitcoin miners' AI pivot faces $50 billion reality check, says VanEck14 hours agoLatest Research CEX Volumes Drop to Lowest Since September 2024 as RWA Perps Hit Record HighCEX Volumes Drop to Lowest Since September 2024 as RWA Perps

Forget retail traders: The real multi-trillion-dollar crypto future is building infrastructure for machines

Key takeaways

More in business