Nemil Dalal, Head of Coinbase Developer Platform, on AgentKit, Bridging AI and Blockchain, Crypto AI Agents, and Building the Onchain Future | Ep. 405
Nemil Dalal, Head of the Coinbase Developer Platform (CDP), joined the Cryptonews Spotlight podcast to discuss how AI and blockchain are converging, the role of crypto in mainstream adoption, and how Coinbase is making onchain development accessible for everyone.
Bringing the World Onchain
Nemil explained how Coinbase Developer Platform (CDP) provides a suite of tools similar to AWS or Stripe, simplifying blockchain development and making it as seamless as traditional software development.
“Our vision is to make it easy for anyone to build anything onchain. We want a million developers building for a billion users.”
Every asset is coming onchain.
An onchain version of the same asset will be much more valuable than the same offchain asset because you will be able to do 1000s of things onchain (earn, borrow, trade, send worldwide, …).
— Nemil Dalal (@nemild) January 16, 2025
Coinbase Onramp: Solving Fiat-to-Crypto Problem
Coinbase Onramp enables developers to integrate seamless fiat-to-crypto transactions into their applications. With zero fees on USDC deposits via debit cards and bank accounts, it removes barriers to global adoption.
“It’s an absolute shit show trying to move dollars from your bank account to on-chain. We have to fix that,” says Nemil.
Why Dollar Onchain Is More Valuable
“I think there’s a version of the world where a dollar offchain is worth less than a dollar onchain,” Nemil thinks.
Onchain dollars allow users to trade, earn yield, and send funds instantly without relying on banks. Nemil sees this shift as inevitable as crypto adoption accelerates.
AgentKit: Bridge Between AI and Blockchain
“What’s the biggest challenge with AI agents? They don’t talk onchain. AgentKit changes that,” Nemil announced.
AgentKit allows AI agents to manage wallets, trade assets, and perform smart contract interactions autonomously. This breakthrough makes AI agents financially independent by enabling them to hold and move funds without traditional banking.
Rise of AI Agents in Crypto
“AI agents will be buying everything: tokens, NFTs, services. And we’re just getting started.”
Nemil predicts an explosion in AI-driven onchain activity, with AI bots managing portfolios, executing trades, and even paying for services. He highlighted Coinbase’s Virtuals, which already powers over 10,000 AI agents onchain.
Tokenizing Everything: Next Frontier
“Everything will eventually be tokenized—culture and finance will start the parade,” Nemil believes.
Nemil thinks the future is fully tokenized, from real-world assets like real estate and stocks to digital-native assets. Stablecoins were the first step, but he sees everything from mortgages to entertainment rights going onchain.
Making Crypto Development Accessible
With AI-enhanced development tools, even those without coding experience can create blockchain applications, making Web3 development as simple as setting up a website.
“AI-powered tools will enable non-developers to build in Web3. That’s how we get to mass adoption,” says Nemil.
AI Bots Explosion on Social Media
Nemil expects AI bots to dominate crypto communities, analyzing market trends, providing trading insights, and interacting with users.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if we 100X the number of AI agents on Twitter and Farcaster by the end of the year.”
How AI Agents Will Handle Payments
“Imagine a world where you just tell your AI assistant: ‘Send my friend 100 USDC’—and it just happens,” says Nemil.
Natural language wallets powered by AI will allow users to execute complex transactions with simple voice or text commands, making crypto more intuitive.
Shift Toward AI-Managed Wallets
Nemil discussed future wallets where AI has limited autonomy, managing funds within predefined parameters to optimize yield, execute trades, and automate payments.
“The next version of wallets will let AI agents manage them directly—but with built-in safeguards.”
Stablecoins, Layer-2s, Future of Payments
Nemil highlighted how low fees, instant transactions, and stablecoins are bringing crypto payments mainstream, making remittances, commerce, and everyday transactions seamless.
“Bitcoin was originally built for payments. Stablecoins and L2s finally make that vision possible.”
Social Apps Could Be the Next Big Breakthrough
While DeFi dominates blockchain, Nemil believes social applications could drive the next billion users onchain. He sees crypto-native platforms unlocking new experiences in identity, tokenized communities, and creator economies.
“Crypto isn’t just for banking. It’s for culture, identity, and social interaction.”
How Coinbase Helps Developers Go Viral
Nemil encouraged developers to use Coinbase’s platform and get featured, emphasizing that CDP’s mission is to empower builders and amplify their reach.
“If you’re building something cool on CDP, we want to help you go viral.”
Looking Ahead: AI, Crypto, and Mass Adoption
Nemil concluded excitedly about the convergence of AI and blockchain, predicting exponential growth in AI-driven financial applications over the next year.
“2025 will be the year AI and crypto truly merge, unlocking new applications we haven’t even imagined yet.”
Source: cryptonews.com
