AI companies are busy preparing for an IPO, but CZ is contemplating another question: once AI works independently, where will the money come from, and how will it be paid?
On October 26, AI company Anthropic publicly submitted its IPO registration documents, planning to list on Nasdaq with the ANT ticker symbol. At the same time, after the opening bell ceremony for BNB Standard (Nasdaq code: BNC), CZ discussed a judgment: cryptocurrency may become the native currency for AI.
Looking at these two events together, one shows the acceleration of AI commercialization while the other reflects the cryptocurrency industry searching for new application scenarios. As AI begins to autonomously call models, purchase data, and rent computational power, payment methods may also change.
But does this mean new opportunities in the cryptocurrency market have arrived? That depends on whether AI will actually use cryptocurrency for payments and where these transactions will eventually flow.
1. Why might AI need cryptocurrency?
Let's look at a specific scenario.
Suppose an AI Agent needs to complete a task: calling other models for information, purchasing a piece of data, and renting computational power to perform calculations. The entire process could be executed automatically by AI, and the service providers could come from different countries.
If each transaction requires human confirmation, binding a bank card, or going through complex payment processes, the degree of automation will be restricted.
Blockchain offers another approach: managing assets through wallets, executing rules with smart contracts, and completing payments with stablecoins or other crypto assets. In theory, machines could automatically make payments based on task requirements, and service providers could receive funds more conveniently.
This is one of the reasons why CZ sees potential for cryptocurrency in the AI field. He believes that in the future, AI may use BTC, existing stablecoins, or even tokens issued by AI companies. However, what specific assets will be adopted is still undecided.
Of course, traditional payment systems can also provide payment interfaces for AI. Whether cryptocurrency can prevail still hinges on solving issues like wallet security, transaction fees, asset volatility, and usage thresholds.
CZ himself admits that using cryptocurrency for daily spending is not currently smooth. He suggests that relevant entrepreneurs first seek opportunities in markets where traditional payment services are lacking or cross-border remittance costs are high rather than rush to compete directly with Apple Pay and Google Pay.
Thus, AI payments are indeed a direction worth researching, but several practical issues need to be resolved before widespread implementation.
2. What does Anthropic's IPO have to do with the cryptocurrency market?
Anthropic's IPO provides a more intuitive reference for the progress of AI commercialization.
According to its submitted registration documents, in the first half of 2026, Anthropic's revenue is approximately $16.286 billion, compared to about $1.163 billion in the same period last year, showing significant growth. The company plans to list on Nasdaq with the ANT ticker symbol, but the details regarding the issuance scale and price range have yet to be determined.
The perpetual contracts for ANTHROPICUSDT prior to listing also reflect optimistic market expectations for the IPO. On October 27, the contract price was around 1,880 USDT, implying a valuation of approximately $1.88 trillion based on a reference share count of 1 billion shares, which is higher than the expected range of $1.5 trillion to $1.75 trillion reported by the Financial Times. However, this merely reflects market expectations as indicated by the contracts and is not Anthropic's official valuation.
It is noteworthy that Anthropic reported a net loss of approximately $80.748 billion during the same period, a significant portion of which is related to non-cash valuation changes of financial instruments like convertible notes, and should not simply be interpreted as an equivalent cash loss from daily operations. Its operational loss is about $6.93 billion.
These figures reflect a trend: AI products are rapidly commercializing, and the demand for model services from businesses and users continues to grow. However, the revenue growth of AI companies does not necessarily mean they will use blockchain for settlement.
What is truly worth observing is whether, as AI Agents increasingly participate in actual business, transactions involving model calls, data procurement, and computational power leasing will gradually create a demand for on-chain payments.
If these transactions begin to use significant amounts of stablecoins or other crypto assets, the related infrastructure may acquire new use cases. Conversely, if mainstream AI services continue to rely on traditional payment channels, the accelerated growth of the AI industry may not translate into incremental demand for the cryptocurrency market.
The Anthropic IPO can attest to the expansion of the AI business, but it does not directly prove that cryptocurrency will benefit from it. Genuine payment demand is required to connect the two.
3. CZ is optimistic about BNB Chain; opportunities still depend on implementation
CZ hopes that BNB Chain can become an important network for AI payments and has mentioned tokens related to computational resources, expressing a desire to eventually integrate such assets into BNB Chain. However, he also clearly states that there is still much work to be done to achieve this goal.
This indicates that BNB Chain is indeed striving for new demand brought by the AI ecosystem but is still in the layout stage. The ability to attract more AI developers, payment applications, and real transactions will be key to determining whether this path can be successful.
On October 26, the BNB Standard rang the opening bell on Nasdaq, bringing the narrative of BNB's corporate reserves back into the market's view.
This company, formerly known as CEA Industries, is not a newly listed company but has linked its business to the BNB ecosystem through a strategy of holding BNB. Public reports indicate that before and after the event, the company held over 515,400 BNB, valued at approximately $383.5 million; it also plans to gradually expand from simply holding assets to operating on-chain business and intends to run its own validation nodes.
However, holding BNB and having AI payments utilize BNB Chain are two different things. The former can strengthen market attention on BNB, while the latter could potentially lead to sustained on-chain activity and actual demand.
In the short-term market, the BNC's opening bell did not immediately drive BNB to continue rising.
According to the AiCoin screenshot from October 27, 2026's major order tracking, BNB previously bounced from $717.2 to around $745, then retreated to about $735.
During the observation period, the principal clearing amount was about $6.6 million, with a net outflow of approximately $523,400, and the long-short holding ratio was 0.87. The RSI has fallen to around 33, and the MACD is still in a weak position.
These signals indicate a cautious attitude from short-term funds, but this set of data alone cannot confirm that whales are unloading in large quantities. Future observations could continue to focus on the price performance around $735, support in the $717 region, and whether large amounts of funds switch back to net inflow.
The opening bell brings attention; what truly determines whether the market can sustain is the buying interest and actual demand.
4. What can ordinary users pay attention to in advance?
In light of the combination of AI and cryptocurrency, there is no need to rush to chase every token labeled "AI." A more practical approach is to first clarify three questions:
- Who is actually using it? Focus on whether AI applications have generated real transactions, rather than just announcing partnerships or concepts.
- How are funds settled? Observe whether stablecoins, BTC, or other assets are used for payments, and whether relevant on-chain transactions are experiencing sustained growth.
- Where does the value ultimately flow? Even if AI payments start to grow, it is important to discern whether the returns come from applications, payment protocols, blockchain networks, or token holders.
This also applies to observing BNB. Corporate reserves, AI payments, and on-chain applications may all become driving forces for long-term development, but short-term prices will still be influenced by market sentiment, fund flows, and overall market conditions.
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AI payments may open up new application spaces for the cryptocurrency industry, but it is too early to talk about a full explosion. Moving forward, rather than chasing concepts, it is more worthwhile to observe how many AI applications actually begin trading with cryptocurrency and how much funding continues to flow on-chain as a result.
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