Yat Siu, co-founder of Animoca Brands, is making a big bet on AI agents. He forecasts that between 50 and 200 billion AI agents will be using blockchain by 2031. To kickstart that future, he's launched Hello Minds and a $10 million fund for the agentic economy.
The forecast
Siu's prediction is a wide range — 50 to 200 billion — but the message is clear: he sees AI agents as the next massive user base for blockchain. The timeline is 2031, just five years from now. That's aggressive, even by crypto standards. But Siu isn't new to big calls; Animoca Brands has been a major player in Web3 gaming and the metaverse.
Why blockchain?
Siu argues that blockchain is the financial system AI agents need. The logic: agents will need to transact, pay for compute, and settle with each other autonomously. Traditional finance doesn't support that. Blockchain, with its programmable money and smart contracts, does. It's a natural fit — if the infrastructure scales.
Hello Minds and the $10M fund
To put money where his mouth is, Siu launched Hello Minds, a new initiative focused on the agentic economy. Alongside it comes a $10 million fund. The fund will back projects building tools, protocols, and applications for AI agents on blockchain. No word yet on the first investments, but the fund is open for applications.
The $10 million fund is live now. Whether the 2031 forecast hits the high end or the low end will depend on how quickly the infrastructure — and the agents — get built. Siu's bet is that blockchain becomes the default rails for machine-to-machine commerce. That's a long way from today's reality, but the fund gives him a seat at the table.
