At Paris Blockchain Week 2026, Bybit CEO Ben Zhou outlined a future where artificial intelligence drives finance, making it accessible and eventually invisible.
Zhou proposed that users may soon not engage with financial platforms at all. He introduced AI agent accounts, allowing clients to create sub-accounts for AI to execute strategies and access market data. This concept of 'agentic finance' suggests intelligence will replace user interfaces, with AI systems analyzing data and optimizing results in real time.
While "crypto" remains a public focus, Zhou noted a quieter transformation: conventional institutions are integrating blockchain as infrastructure. Stablecoins are facilitating quicker payments and settlement. This marks a shift where cryptocurrency becomes foundational rather than a separate system.
Zhou identified trust, enhanced by growing regulatory clarity in jurisdictions like the UAE, US, UK, and Europe, as the key enabler. This clarity stimulates innovation and institutional adoption.
The ultimate goal, according to Zhou, is not to replace but to enhance existing systems. The envisioned future integrates financial services seamlessly into daily life, making technology and platforms invisible, with intelligence operating in the background and trust embedded in the system.