Why AI Agents Need Crypto Rails: Ella Zhang on Wallets, Identity, Permissions & Payments

*“Where do blockchain and AI truly converge—and what’s just noise?”* In this Binance Online 2026 session, Ella Zhang (Head of YZi Labs; co‑founder of Binance Labs) maps the next wave at the intersection of Web3, AI, and frontier tech. She explains why the biggest breakthroughs happen at convergence (TradFi x DeFi, AI x blockchain), why agentic AI needs crypto rails for identity, payments, and data ownership, and how AI can make Web3 intent‑driven and invisible. Ella also shares what’s real (agentic payments, ZK‑backed data markets, tokenized stocks/pre‑IPO equity) vs. what isn’t ready yet (decentralized AI training), the hard problems for RWAs (custody, liquidity, IPO bridging), and her contrarian bet: the next great crypto companies may IPO without a token—while offering tokenized equity. *In this episode, Ella Zhang covers:* ✅ Convergence over single‑domain bets: how AI and blockchain amplify each other (and where DeFi and TradFi now meet) ✅ Agentic era: why AI agents require wallets, identity, permissions, and trust—crypto rails as the execution layer ✅ UX inversion: AI becomes the intent‑based interface; blockchain recedes to an invisible ownership/incentive layer ✅ What’s working now: agentic payments, ZK‑secured data sharing/ownership, tokenized stocks and pre‑IPO equity demand ✅ What’s not ready: decentralized AI training/inference—centralized data centers still dominate today ✅ RWAs in 2026: momentum across stocks, credit, sovereigns, real estate; why this is a mainstream catalyst ✅ Open problems to solve: trustless custody, scalable liquidity for diverse assets, and bridging pre‑IPO tokens into IPO settlement rails ✅ Four buckets, one pick: why agentic payments + identity/data rails will lead this cycle ✅ Contrarian bet: next breakout “crypto” companies may forgo tokens—IPO first, with tokenized equity as the bridge *⏱️ Timestamps:* ⏳ 00:00 – Introduction with Ella Zhang, Head of Yzi Labs & Danosch Zahedi (TheBlock) ⏳ 01:14 – Looking back from 2018: what Ella would have gotten wrong about 2026 capital flows (AI, convergence) ⏳ 03:41 – YZi Labs mandate and what’s exciting in Web3 x AI convergence (verticals to watch) ⏳ 07:20 – What's the next big thing? Ella on agentic payments + identity + data ownership, and why AI needs blockchain ⏳ 11:16 – Noise vs. real for AI x crypto: decentralized AI training isn’t ready; what’s working today ⏳ 13:01 – Ella on RWAs taking off + Tokenization momentum in 2026: stocks, pre‑IPO equity, broader asset classes ⏳ 15:53 – What’s missing to scale RWAs: custody, liquidity depth, and IPO settlement bridging ⏳ 18:07 – Ella's contrarian bet for next 2-3 years: great crypto companies may IPO without tokens; tokenized equity instead ⏳ 19:27 – Outro #binanceonline #AgenticAI #aicryptotrading #Tokenization #yzilabs #binance *⚠️ RISK WARNING:* Digital asset prices can be volatile. The value of your investment may go down or up and you may not get back the amount invested. You are solely responsible for your investment decisions and Binance is not liable for any losses you may incur. It is your responsibility to ascertain whether you are permitted to use the services of Binance based on your individual circumstances. Not financial advice. For more information, see our Terms of Use and Risk Warning. *📢 Join the conversation:* ➡️ Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/binance ➡️ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/binance ➡️ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/binance ➡️ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@binance ➡️ LinkedIn: https://www.din.com/company/binance ➡️ Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/binance *🔗 Download Binance here (iOS, Android):* https://binance.onelink.me/y874/cb98de36 *🔗 Sign up for Binance here:* https://www.binance.com/en?ref=ERQKP7ND&utm_source=BinanceYoutube&utm_medium=GlobalSocial&utm_campaign=GlobalSocial