Franklin Templeton: Agentic AI Could Be Blockchain's Killer Use Case

Sandy Kaul, who leads Digital Assets and Innovation at Franklin Templeton, believes that agentic AI might finally represent the 'killer use case' for blockchain and cryptocurrency. In a July 2026 analysis, she suggests that these autonomous AI agents need a payment infrastructure that is immediate, programmable, and verifiable, which is where blockchain comes into play. As of June 30, 2026, the Franklin OnChain U.S. Government Money Fund, part of the BENJI ecosystem, reported net assets of $753.24 million, showcasing blockchain's role in traditional finance. Market developments include Stripe's Machine Payments Protocol (March 2026) and the x402 Foundation launched by the Linux Foundation (July 2026), featuring 40 members like Coinbase and Visa. McKinsey anticipates that AI agents could manage $3 trillion to $5 trillion in consumer transactions by 2030. Gartner warns that by 2028, 33% of enterprise software will include agentic AI, but over 40% of such projects may be scrapped by 2027 due to financial and risk factors, with liability for errors and scams posing significant challenges.