Australia’s 40-Year Outlook Embraces AI, Skips Crypto

Australia’s latest 40-year economic outlook puts artificial intelligence at the center of the country’s long-term transition plan, but it does not assign a similar role to crypto or blockchain-based financial infrastructure.

The Treasury’s report names AI as one of five major shifts expected to reshape the Australian economy over the coming decades. The framing reflects a policy focus on productivity, labor-market change and the broader modernization of industry. For digital asset advocates, however, the omission of crypto is notable given the sector’s growing role in payments, settlement and machine-to-machine commerce.

Coinbase argued that the report overlooks the financial infrastructure AI systems may eventually need. The exchange’s point is that if AI agents become active economic participants, they will likely require programmable payment rails, identity controls and settlement mechanisms that resemble parts of today’s crypto stack.

That argument does not mean Australia is behind the curve on AI. It does suggest, however, that policymakers may be treating AI as a standalone productivity tool rather than as part of a broader shift in how value moves through the economy. In practice, the two trends are increasingly linked. AI can generate demand for faster, lower-cost and more automated financial infrastructure, while blockchain networks can provide the rails for those transactions.

The omission also lands at a time when global markets are in a strong risk-on phase. The Fear and Greed Index sits at 78, or extreme greed, a backdrop that tends to support speculative assets and policy narratives tied to innovation. Even so, the Australian report itself is not a market-moving catalyst for crypto prices. Its significance is more strategic: it shows how mainstream economic planning continues to recognize AI faster than it recognizes digital assets.

For crypto investors, the takeaway is straightforward. Australia’s long-term outlook reinforces the view that AI is now a policy priority, but it also highlights a gap in official thinking about the infrastructure that autonomous software may need to transact at scale. That gap could become more important as governments, banks and payment firms consider how AI agents will interact with financial systems.