Everything on Standardization

The lack of standardized protocols for agent-to-agent communication and payments is a major fragmentation issue. Unlike the web, where SSL is a standard, the agentic economy lacks a common language for secure interaction.

Impact: Firms that can facilitate consensus on agent communication standards will become critical gatekeepers in the agentic economy, similar to how internet standards bodies shaped the web.

— from Building the AI Bank for Autonomous Agents · web3 with a16z crypto· Mar 03, 2026