Macro investor Jordi Visser said Ethereum could benefit as AI agents drive demand for tokens and on-chain payments.
Ethereum News
Macro investor and former hedge fund manager Jordi Visser recently purchased Ethereum (ETH) and says that 2026 marks the beginning of what he calls "tokenization reality," driven by the payment needs of autonomous AI systems. Visser made the remarks on a Saturday podcast with Anthony Pompliano, where he argued that most market participants are underestimating the structural shift underway.
AI agents cannot open bank accounts, obtain credit, or seek human approval for transactions. Their only viable method for transacting online is through digital assets such as ETH and stablecoins, which operate without traditional financial infrastructure. Visser described this as a supply-demand dynamic already taking shape.
"AI agents are with us," Visser said. "They need food, and that food is not physical food. It is tokens. There's been a shortage," he added, pointing to an emerging imbalance between AI-driven demand and available on-chain supply.
Data from x402(dot)org shows autonomous online payments recorded more than $24 million in transaction volume over the past month on the Coinbase x402 standard, reflecting early-stage but accelerating adoption of machine-initiated payments. The Algorand Foundation announced support for agentic commerce on Saturday through a partnership with Google on the AP2 Agentic Payments Protocol. Multiple crypto protocols are moving to embed agentic AI payment rails into their blockchains.
Ethereum currently commands more than 60% market share in real-world asset tokenization, including layer-2 networks, according to RWA(dot)xyz. Visser connected that dominance directly to the tokenization thesis, arguing that Ethereum's infrastructure positions it to capture AI-driven transaction flow as the sector expands.
Visser also framed tokenization as a structural solution to a long-standing capital markets problem. A large volume of capital is locked in illiquid assets, including private credit, private equity, and venture capital, with limited mechanisms for pricing or exit. He argued that on-chain tokenization enables price discovery for assets that currently have none.
"Tokenization is actually needed for no other reason than price discovery for a lot of these things that they're trapped in," Visser said. He currently holds the position of head of AI macro at 22V Research.
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