The inaugural Global Web4.0 Innovation Conference on AI and Digital Asset Integration opened in Hong Kong, where one of the main roundtable sessions focused on the convergence of cryptocurrency payments and AI agents. The discussion was moderated by Xavier George of Huaying Group and featured participants from Bitgo, BlockbeatHK, LTP, and Standard Chartered Bank’s venture arm, SC Ventures.
Digital assets seen as the native currency for AI agents
Panelists argued that AI agents could play a major role in transforming global payment infrastructure, with digital currencies emerging as the “native currency” for those systems. The idea is that autonomous AI-driven services may need programmable, borderless, and instantly transferable forms of value to operate efficiently across digital environments.
Security was another major theme during the session. Speakers stressed that multisignature custody and cold storage remain essential tools for protecting AI-enabled payment flows. As AI agents take on a larger role in executing transactions, safeguarding assets and maintaining clear control frameworks are expected to be critical for wider adoption.
Cross-border payments and liquidity in focus
The panel also explored how AI agents could lower barriers in cross-border transactions and improve digital asset liquidity. Compared with conventional payment rails, crypto-based systems paired with AI automation may offer stronger efficiency, better accessibility, and faster settlement. These characteristics are increasingly positioning AI-agent payments as a potential cornerstone of the evolving Web 4.0 payment model.
SC Ventures added a traditional finance perspective, noting that financial institutions are adapting to both AI and tokenization. According to the discussion, AI could help make financial services more accessible, while tokenized systems may broaden the ways value moves across markets. Taken together, the session suggested that AI-native payments are shifting from an experimental concept toward a more serious infrastructure conversation.