Jordi Visser, a former Morgan Stanley and Weiss executive, argues that crypto assets will outperform AI stocks throughout 2026 because AI agents require decentralized, permissionless layers to execute autonomous transactions. Unlike human users who rely on traditional banking, AI agents are increasingly utilizing blockchain networks as their native medium of exchange to pay for compute power, data storage, and API access. This shift is creating a fundamental demand floor for high-throughput networks like Solana and Ethereum that traditional AI hardware companies may no longer match in terms of relative growth.
The market environment in early 2026 shows a significant transition from speculative interest to utility-driven demand. Visser’s strategy involves moving beyond the 'Big Three'—Bitcoin (BTC), Ether (ETH), and Solana (SOL)—to capture value in the infrastructure that supports the 'Agent Economy.' He suggests that while the initial AI boom favored chipmakers and software providers, the current cycle favors the protocols that act as the financial connective tissue for non-human entities.
For US-based investors and institutional players, this trend highlights the growing importance of the DePIN (Decentralized Physical Infrastructure) and AI-crypto sectors. As AI agents become more prevalent in corporate workflows, their preference for near-instant settlement and programmable money makes crypto assets a more efficient bet than traditional equities that face slower settlement cycles and higher legacy costs.
Market participants should closely monitor the growth of 'non-human' wallet addresses and the volume of stablecoin transactions initiated by automated agents. As we progress through 2026, the regulatory clarity surrounding automated smart contract interactions in the US will be a critical factor in determining how quickly institutional capital rotates from Nasdaq-listed AI firms into the broader crypto ecosystem.