Franklin Templeton Says Agentic AI Is Crypto's 'Killer Use Case'

Franklin Templeton argues that agentic AI will drive crypto adoption because autonomous software needs fast, programmable payment rails that legacy card and banking networks cannot provide. The firm says blockchain settlement is a better fit for machine-to-machine commerce than traditional finance, and points to transaction-speed advantages of networks such as Solana, Ethereum, Aptos, and BNB Chain versus Visa. It also cites forecasts that AI agents could handle 15% to 25% of U.S. e-commerce by 2030 and that agentic commerce could reach $3 trillion to $5 trillion globally by 2030. The report suggests investors seeking AI exposure may need to own the underlying tokens, not just AI equities like Nvidia. Market-wise, the piece is broadly constructive for major layer-1 cryptocurrencies, especially Ethereum and Solana, as potential beneficiaries of agentic AI payment demand.