Arslanian: Stablecoins, AI Payments and Institutional Crypto

At Consensus 2026 in Miami Beach, Nine Blocks co-founder Henri Arslanian told attendees that recent Senate attention on the Clarity Act and proposed stablecoin rules is prompting banks, asset managers and payment firms to prepare for tighter crypto integration. He also warned that AI-driven, or “agentic,” payments routed over crypto rails present unresolved compliance issues including KYC and trade surveillance.

Stablecoins are designed to hold a 1:1 peg to the U.S. dollar and act as an onramp from bank deposits to dollar-pegged tokens. Arslanian said clearer rules would allow traditional financial firms to incorporate stablecoins into existing systems and that many large institutions are moving ahead with plans even as legislation is negotiated.

Payments were a major topic at the conference. Companies cited faster settlement times and lower fees for crypto payments compared with some legacy bank and card systems. Arslanian highlighted a newer trend in which AI programs execute transactions with little human input and route many of those transactions through crypto infrastructure.

He raised specific compliance questions: “If we’re using agentic payments, how are we going to do KYC on these agentic payments? How are we going to do trade surveillance to ensure there’s no market manipulation, wash trading or insider trading?” He added that existing financial-crime controls will need changes to address automated payment agents.

The event showed a stronger presence from major banks and institutional firms than in past years, with more booths, panels and speakers from traditional finance. Arslanian noted that firms such as JP Morgan had physical exhibits on site.

Speakers discussed recent price swings in Bitcoin, which rose near $120,000 before falling roughly 50% in the following months. Arslanian, who entered the industry in 2013, warned that a prolonged downturn could force some recent hires to leave the sector for financial reasons.

He listed three persistent challenges for the industry: uneven market interest in Bitcoin and altcoins, high-profile hacks and security incidents in decentralized finance, and limited public understanding of crypto. Arslanian said many new crypto tools are being integrated into mainstream banking platforms with limited public visibility.

Attendees reported ongoing project development and collaboration between traditional finance and crypto firms. Arslanian said regulatory clarity would likely accelerate institutional adoption, while adapting compliance systems and addressing security gaps remain immediate industry priorities.