AI and stablecoins reshape DeFi infrastructure for future finance

The most consequential shifts shaping digital assets and decentralised finance are emerging from the rebuilding of core financial functions, particularly payments and settlement.

Over the past year, total stablecoin transaction volumes reached approximately $33 trillion. Stablecoins have quietly moved beyond crypto-native activity and are increasingly being used as practical tools by institutions and fintechs to move value onchain. At this scale, stablecoins are no longer judged by novelty, but by how effectively they perform within global settlement systems — measured by speed, cost, and reliability.

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One of the clearest signals of this shift is the rapid expansion of stablecoin-backed card payments. Over the past year, usage has grown sharply as fintech platforms integrate stablecoin settlement beneath traditional credit and debit card experiences. Klarna’s decision to incorporate stablecoins into how it funds and settles transactions through a partnership with Coinbase illustrates how large consumer fintechs are beginning to treat onchain settlement as a balance-sheet and liquidity tool rather than an experimental feature.

Onchain rails are also being integrated directly into mainstream payment infrastructure. Payment networks such as Visa have expanded support for stablecoin settlement between issuers and acquirers. From the user’s perspective, these transactions appear identical to conventional card payments, while the underlying rails enable faster processing, lower costs, and broader global reach. As this model proves reliable at scale, major card networks and payment providers are increasingly expected to formalise support for stablecoin-compatible rails. By the end of the year, stablecoin settlement is likely to be viewed less as an alternative and more as a standard component of modern payment architecture.

What makes this shift especially significant is how it intersects with automation. As AI systems increasingly operate as personal assistants, financial planners, and operational tools, agentic finance is beginning to define onchain finance in 2026. This is where agentic finance moves from theory into practice.

AI-driven financial agents are starting to manage routine financial decisions directly on top of DeFi infrastructure, including reallocating idle balances, optimising yield, and initiating payments without taking custody of user funds. Rather than replacing human judgment, these agents execute predefined strategies while remaining transparent and auditable. This model is particularly powerful in regions where banking access is limited, allowing users to interact with financial systems through lightweight interfaces while automation handles complexity in the background.

As agentic systems become more capable, they are likely to manage corporate treasuries, optimise working capital, and deploy liquidity across markets in ways that resemble autonomous capital management. The same logic that allows an agent to rebalance a retail savings account can be applied to larger pools of capital, provided the underlying infrastructure remains non-custodial, auditable, and resilient.

Stablecoins are moving toward becoming default settlement layers. DeFi is embedding itself into broader financial workflows. Automation is reshaping how capital moves across global markets. While this transition is still in its early phases, the foundations being laid point toward growth driven by utility, efficiency, and real economic adoption.

— Luke Youngblood is the Founder of Moonwell.