Solana Foundation President Lily Liu says the network is building payment rails for the emerging 'AI machine economy.' Speaking at Consensus Miami 2026, Liu pointed to recent integrations by Meta and Western Union as major validations that blockchain is moving beyond speculation into practical infrastructure.
"Fast and cheap is a no-brainer for payments," Liu said, noting Visa's 2023 decision to build stablecoin settlement on Solana. She argued that traditional credit card systems make micropayments impractical due to interchange fees, while blockchain enables sub-dollar transactions and real-time payment streaming.
Liu described Western Union's move onto blockchain as a 'white whale' moment for crypto. She also defended Solana's interventions after security incidents with Vault and Drift, saying preserving industry confidence sometimes outweighs competitive rivalries.
Looking ahead, Liu said blockchains are fundamentally financial rails, not general technology platforms. She predicted crypto's future could extend into 'internet capital markets,' enabling global capital formation for companies and sovereign entities.