Agentic Payments Need Trusted Infrastructure to Scale Beyond Millions
**Agentic payments are currently moving real value**, but face a critical infrastructure challenge.
**The scaling problem:**
- Current systems handle tens of millions in transactions
- To reach global financial flow levels, trusted infrastructure is essential
- Without proper foundation, autonomous payment systems cannot achieve internet-scale adoption
**The broader context:**
The agentic economy requires financial infrastructure designed for autonomous transactions. As Circles' CTO Li Fan noted at SXSW, international calls became nearly free, yet cross-border money movement remains expensive and slow.
**What's at stake:**
For AI agents and autonomous systems to participate meaningfully in the global economy, the underlying payment rails must be rebuilt to match the speed and efficiency of modern digital communication.