Hypernest Podcast is a monthly series where we meet Web3 founders, industry leaders, and blockchain experts to discuss various topics in the Web3 space.

As AI agents become smarter and more autonomous, a new paradigm is rapidly emerging across the decentralized tech stack: the agentic economy. This transformative concept envisions digital agents, not just as tools but as autonomous economic actors capable of decision-making, value transfer, and collaboration.

For founders building in DeFi and RWA, understanding the agentic economy is no longer optional. It’s foundational. In this shift, where automation meets decentralization, AI-driven agents will increasingly orchestrate transactions, manage investments, and even operate autonomous businesses on-chain. At the bleeding edge of this evolution stands Alex Shevchenko, CEO of Aurora and a pivotal contributor to the NEAR ecosystem, helping shape the AI-blockchain convergence.

Introducing Alex Shevchenko: Architect of On-Chain Innovation

Alex Shevchenko has been a builder in Web3 since 2015. From foundational DeFi bridges to cross-chain architecture, he’s helped steer some of the most impactful infrastructure in the NEAR ecosystem. As the creator behind projects like the Rainbow Bridge and Aurora, the EVM-compatible chain on NEAR, and the driving force behind the recent Near Intents protocol, Alex consistently delivers future-proof systems.

Today, his focus is clear: enabling the agentic economy with robust, intuitive infrastructure for autonomous AI agents and their interaction with decentralized financial systems.

Inside the Agentic Economy: Why It Matters for Founders

At its core, the agentic economy revolves around AI agents that can interact, transact, and operate economically on behalf of users or themselves. From customer service chatbots to autonomous vending machine managers, AI agents are increasingly managing workflows and decision-making. And as these agents communicate and contract with each other, an economic layer becomes necessary.

This is where blockchain shines. Unlike traditional financial rails which demand KYC, bank accounts, and physical paperwork blockchains allow any agent, even autonomous AIs, to hold keys, exchange value, and operate trustlessly.

Blockchain’s Native Compatibility with the Agentic Economy

One of the standout observations from Alex’s insights is that blockchain, by design, caters naturally to the needs of the agentic economy. Here’s why:

– Agents need autonomy: They cannot pass KYC or open bank accounts but they can hold crypto wallets.

– Transactions must be verifiable and transparent: Blockchain ensures this via cryptographic proofs.

– Payments between agents must be instant and borderless: Blockchain offers permissionless value exchange.

While traditional systems struggle with the concept of non-human economic actors, blockchain networks like NEAR provide the ideal base layer.

From AI to On-Chain Agents: Building Autonomy into Automation

But when does AI become an “agent”? The difference lies in autonomy and intent.

Automation handles workflows. Autonomy makes decisions.

Using an example from Entropic AI’s vending machine experiment, Alex describes how agents evolve when given input (“You now run a business”) and learn to optimize for profit. While the example didn’t end in profitability, it marked the beginning of autonomous business agents acting within an agentic economy.

More importantly, these agents need infrastructure to operate, pay, and receive payments. Blockchain fills this gap.

Key Takeaway for Founders: Think beyond tools. The future is autonomous actor networks.

Near Intents Protocol: Economic Infrastructure for Agents

What’s an economy without the ability to transact?

Enter Near Intents, a protocol that abstracts complex financial interactions into easy-to-execute “intents.” Think of it as programmable finance done right. Users (or agents) can express intents like:

– Swap BTC to USDC cross-chain

– Deploy capital to yield vaults on Aave

– Contribute to token launches via a user-friendly interface across ecosystems

Near Intents powers composability, payment routing, and asset exchanges all core pillars of the agentic economy.

Building on Chain with Agentic Smart Contracts

What happens when code is not just instructive but initiative-taking? The next evolution after smart contracts is “Agentic Smart Contracts” software agents secured via cryptography and embedded in trusted execution environments (TEEs).

Why is this important?

– No virtual machine necessary

– Autonomy in decision-making

– Hybrid on/off-chain computation

– Real-world API integration

– Native key control (including cross-chain)

These agents don’t just live on-chain. They interact with legacy systems, other blockchains, and even humans but always with verifiable, economic logic.

For builders, this means a broader design space. Imagine agents managing liquidity, underwriting decentralized loans, or optimizing token portfolios independently.

On-Chain Asset Management Agents

An AI-driven vault optimizer could automatically redistribute capital based on yields, risk signals, or governance rules. Funds managed this way could be wholly autonomous, verifiable, and more efficient than traditional hedge funds.

1. Decentralized Infrastructure-as-a-Service

With NEAR’s DCML and agent-cloud architecture, anyone can offer AI inference or compute power through tokenized economic models inviting a new layer of marketplace coordination between agentic actors.

2. Autonomous E-commerce Platforms

Why build another Shopify on-chain when you can create an AI-powered agent that negotiates, lists, and fulfills orders independently while interoperating with multi-chain payments and logistics agents?

 3. Tokenizing Micro-SaaS and Service Logic

From newsletter assistants to customer service agents, these micro-AI utilities can not only run as economic actors but also tokenize as investable assets through platforms like Calyx, Aurora’s cross-chain launchpad offering.

Embrace the Shift Toward the Agentic Economy

As economic agency extends from humans to algorithms, the fabric of decentralized systems must adapt. Thanks to visionary builders like Alex Shevchenko and teams behind Aurora and NEAR, the agentic economy now has the right foundations privatized AI logic, composable value rails, and agent-native deployments.

For early-stage Web3 founders, this is your call not just to catch up but to lead. The infrastructure is in place. The momentum is building. And the agentic economy is ready to activate.

Don’t wait. Build the future with intention and with agents.

Apply to the HyperNest program and join the ranks of pioneers shaping the intent-powered future of DeFi.

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