Anchorage Digital launches AI banking for autonomous payments

Crypto bank Anchorage Digital has introduced an agentic banking service that allows AI systems to access and move funds across traditional and crypto payment rails without human intervention. SummaryAnchorage Digital has launched an agentic banking service that lets AI agents access and move funds across crypto and traditional payment rails. CEO Nathan McCauley said the system assigns AI agents verified identities, spending limits, and audit controls to meet compliance requirements. The rollout includes a Google Cloud partnership, as firms like Coinbase and the Solana Foundation expand tools for AI-driven payments using stablecoins. According to Anchorage Digital co-founder and CEO Nathan McCauley, the new infrastructure equips AI agents with direct access to financial rails while operating under predefined controls designed for institutional use. In a recentX post, McCauley said that the system enables agents to transact across both fiat-linked systems and blockchain networks. Anchorage stated that each AI agent will be assigned a verifiable identity, along with spending limits, permissions, and policy controls that govern how funds can be used. Auditability features have been built into the system to ensure compliance with regulatory standards, particularly as institutions begin to test automation across treasury and payment functions. McCauley noted that existing financial systems were not designed for non-human actors, even as companies increasingly automate operational workflows. Meanwhile, he has previously described agentic finance as a major growth area. “This is, in my view, set to be a trillion-dollar industry where we are going to have agents paying each other, agents paying merchants, and agents getting paid,” he said during his appearance at the Consensus 2026 conference in Miami. The rollout includes a partnership with Google Cloud, which provides the intelligence layer for agent interaction. Anchorage said this layer allows AI agents to discover services, negotiate terms, and coordinate transactions with other agents in real time. Recent developments across the crypto sector show similar efforts to enable machine-driven transactions. The Solana Foundation haslauncheda gateway service with Google Cloud that allows AI agents to pay for APIs using stablecoins on the Solana network, expanding payment use cases beyond human-driven activity. Earlier, CoinbaseintroducedAgentic. market, a platform where AI agents can discover and pay for services using USDC through the x402 protocol. Coinbase reported that the protocol has already processed about 165 million transactions across more than 480,000 agents, indicating that machine-to-machine payments are already operating at scale. On April 30, Oobit, backed by Tether, launched aVisa-supported virtual cardthat allows AI agents to make online purchases using USDT. The company said the cards are funded directly from Tether’s treasury, allowing continuous use of capital without requiring fiat conversions or manual top-ups. Anchorage’s move builds on its earlier focus on infrastructure tied to institutional risk management. In March, the bank took astrategic stakein Immunefi and acquired its IMU token, linking regulated custody services with on-chain security programs aimed at reducing smart contract vulnerabilities.