The panel was moderated by Roman J. Ma of Ceras Ventures and featured Maan Ftouni, CEO and Founder of CoinQuant, alongside Hayden Hughes of Tokenize Capital and Mike Chaan of Deep Ventures.
AI agents as real market participants
A central theme of the discussion was the rise of AI agents as active participants across both Web2 and Web3 environments. These systems are no longer limited to analysis. They are increasingly capable of executing autonomous actions across markets and chains.
From CoinQuant’s perspective, AI agents are particularly well suited to trading. Their ability to operate without emotional bias and execute with precision positions them to play a growing role in future market activity. As on chain payment capabilities mature, these agents move beyond support tools and begin functioning as independent economic actors.
Infrastructure and trust
The panel discussed the infrastructure required to support this shift, including Coinbase’s X402 protocol, which enables AI agents to settle transactions directly on chain. If widely adopted, such systems could significantly reduce friction between Web2 and Web3 environments, though integration and regulatory clarity remain key challenges.
Trust was another major theme. As AI systems become more advanced, verifying origin and behavior becomes critical. Blockchain can provide tamper proof records, support auditability, and enable privacy preserving verification through mechanisms such as zero knowledge proofs.
Where value will concentrate
Looking ahead, the discussion highlighted orchestration and distribution layers as the most likely sources of long term value. While infrastructure may see early gains, platforms coordinating AI deployment and execution are positioned to capture durable advantage.
A milestone for CoinQuant
The event also marked a milestone for CoinQuant, which was voted Best Startup to Invest In by more than 120 institutional investors attending the congress.
