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Hong Kong-based stablecoin issuer First Digital said the next phase of the stablecoin market will be defined less by a single dominant model and more by an ecosystem of specialized tokens—while the longer-term opportunity lies in combining stablecoins with AI-driven finance to address persistent gaps in financial access.
Speaking Tuesday at the ‘Institutional Web3 Forum’ in Seoul (Tuesday UTC), First Digital CEO Vincent Chok presented on “technological innovation in stablecoins and Asia market strategy,” outlining how stablecoins have evolved from exchange liquidity tools into broader financial infrastructure—and, potentially, into the default payment rail for an emerging ‘agent-based economy’ powered by AI.
Chok described stablecoins as moving through distinct adoption phases since the launch of Tether in 2014: first as a mechanism for ‘trading liquidity’ on crypto exchanges, then as core collateral within decentralized finance, and later as instruments increasingly used for payments and settlement. The next step, he argued, is expansion into systems where AI agents transact on users’ behalf, making stablecoins the settlement layer for automated economic activity.
“An era is coming where each individual will have an AI agent,” Chok said, adding that when agents begin to perform routine economic tasks—consumption, savings, asset allocation, and cross-border transactions—stablecoins become the “key means of payment” due to their programmability and near-instant settlement across networks.
He also suggested adoption will diverge by region. In developed markets, AI agents may initially function as efficiency tools that reduce friction in consumer and enterprise finance. In parts of the emerging world, however, AI-enabled stablecoin systems could become “essential for survival,” he said, pointing to communities where access to bank accounts or credit remains limited.
Chok framed this as a pathway to tackling the global ‘unbanked’ and underbanked problem—arguing that the convergence of blockchain, stablecoins, and AI could deliver always-on financial services without requiring traditional branch networks. The proposition resonates in Asia, where mobile-first fintech adoption has been strong, yet regulatory and banking access disparities remain pronounced across jurisdictions.
To illustrate First Digital’s direction, Chok introduced an AI-based financial platform called ‘Finance District,’ which he said is designed as a neutral layer supporting multiple stablecoins and blockchains. The concept centers on AI agents that can access the platform 24/7 to execute financial operations, with embedded mechanisms to distribute transaction-related costs automatically.