Page 82 - CMA Journal (Mar-Apr 2026)

TOP TECHNOLOGY TREND

The world has entered a new paradigm in which AI agents Under machine-to-
have the growing potential to replace humans across many machine autonomous
elds. Imagine that the person you are interacting with or nance, these systems
even the system requesting a payment may be nothing more operate continuously
than a software script. These self-evolving, self-funding, and
using Bitcoin and
self-sustaining bots are increasingly capable of performing
stablecoins. Unlike
tasks once considered uniquely human. This shift creates
traditional banking
vast opportunities as well as serious concerns, particularly in
systems such as at
scenarios where there is no effective kill switch or where
and SWIFT, which may
systems may eventually learn to bypass commands and
take hours or even
safeguards.
days for settlement,
While tech companies are racing to develop more human these networks can
like robots capable of performing diverse tasks and Uzma Taslim
generate a Bitcoin
acquiring new skills, AI agents are also being developed to
p r i v a t e k e y i n Head of Research
independently manage nancial operations. The global Habib Metropolitan Financial Services
milliseconds without
nancial infrastructure is being redesigned to enable AI to AI
requiring identity
commerce. In this emerging machine economy, Bitcoin and
veri cation or central bank approval. While this signi cantly
the Lightning Network play a central role. The Lightning
improves efficiency, it also raises concerns about increasing
Network is a Layer 2 payment protocol built on top of the
Bitcoin blockchain. It is highly efficient and offers signi cant human redundancy. According to the IMF, up to 40 percent
cost advantages. While traditional credit card fees are around of global jobs could be impacted by AI.
2.5 percent, Lightning Network transaction costs can be as
AI Governance
low as approximately 0.003 percent.
Recognizing these risks, China has taken steps to protect its
AI bots are now being designed with de ned goals, budgets,
labor force from displacement caused by automation. While
and the ability to execute code. They can interpret behavioral
continuing to prioritize AI adoption at a national level, it has
signals and autonomously initiate personalized offers. These
restricted layoffs justi ed solely on the basis of jobs being
agents operate with their own crypto wallets and can make
replaced by bots. Although this provides temporary
payments without human intervention. They are capable of
protection, the growing integration of AI agents into
negotiating contracts, executing arbitrage trades, and
corporate structures means that workers will ultimately
processing micropayments in fractions of a Bitcoin, known as
need to adapt, reskill, or face displacement.
Satoshis, almost instantly.
So far, China remains the only major economy to have taken
such direct measures to address unemployment risks from
digital transformation. Other regions are still developing
comparable frameworks. In the United States and Europe,
regulatory systems increasingly require agentic smart
contracts to include a human controlled kill switch to
prevent unintended or irrational transactions. In Pakistan,
the government is operationalizing the Pakistan Virtual
Assets Regulatory Authority (PVARA) to regulate digital asset
activity. This framework aims to monitor cryptocurrency

ICMA’s Chartered Management Accountant, Mar-Apr 2026 80