According to @scottshics, Kite routes agent-to-agent payments into programmable escrow governed by SLA contracts, releasing funds only after proof of completion or zk/TEE attestations and enabling refunds, reversals, or freezes via preset dispute resolvers, oracles, or staking-based arbitration (source: @scottshics on X, Oct 25, 2025, https://twitter.com/scottshics/status/1982084564760539513). Each transfer is treated as a state update rather than final settlement, with conditional and reversible logic enforced by on-chain smart contracts and cryptographic proofs (source: @scottshics on X, Oct 25, 2025, https://twitter.com/scottshics/status/1982084564760539513). He shared an example escrow smart contract implementing this pattern for service payments (source: GitHub gokite-ai EscrowService.sol, https://github.com/gokite-ai/example-contracts/blob/main/contracts/EscrowService.sol). Identity-wallet binding uses an Agent Passport with a three-layer model (User → Agent → Session), where the user wallet is the root authority, agents are BIP-32 derived addresses, and sessions use one-time keys with limited authorization, verifiable via a signature chain from session to agent to user (source: @scottshics on X, Oct 25, 2025, https://twitter.com/scottshics/status/1982084564760539513). For settlement, Kite supports whitelisted stablecoins PYUSD, USDT, and USDC and programmable money lanes to customize fees, conversion, and revenue share, enabling scripted payouts like 70% USDC plus 30% module token, 100% refunds on task failure, and 10% bonuses on SLA completion, providing concrete on-chain rails for stablecoin-native agent workflows (source: @scottshics on X, Oct 25, 2025, https://twitter.com/scottshics/status/1982084564760539513).

According to @LexSokolin, stablecoins are positioned to replace embedded finance because they enable real-time settlement, 24/7 operations, no legacy tech debt, programmable money, and global-by-default reach, as stated by the source. According to @LexSokolin, traditional banks, fintechs, and big tech are already betting on this shift, indicating that market adoption is underway per the source. According to @LexSokolin, these features point to trading and payments rails favoring stablecoin settlement over legacy integrations, as framed by the source.

According to Milk Road, Ethereum (ETH) compares favorably with BTC, gold, and U.S. Treasuries by offering a bond-like staking yield, faster on-chain settlement than card networks, 24/7 trading, programmability, and no centralized custodian or issuer, source: Milk Road. Ethereum provides protocol-level staking rewards paid in ETH to validators, giving holders a native yield if they stake, while Bitcoin (BTC) has no protocol-level staking or native yield, sources: Ethereum.org Staking; Bitcoin.org Developer Guide. Ethereum transactions achieve on-chain finality within minutes under proof-of-stake, whereas Visa’s network authorizes payments instantly for consumers but clears and settles net positions between issuers and acquirers on a next-day basis in ordinary course, sources: Ethereum.org documentation on finality; Visa Inc. Form 10-K. The Ethereum network operates continuously and supports programmable smart contracts for decentralized applications, enabling 24/7 on-chain activity and self-custody at the protocol level, sources: Ethereum.org What is Ethereum; Ethereum.org Accounts. U.S. Treasuries offer market-determined yields and defined auction/settlement schedules, and major traditional markets run on set trading hours, giving ETH a contrasting 24/7 settlement and programmable yield profile for traders to compare across assets, sources: U.S. Department of the Treasury Yield Curve and Auction Calendar; NYSE Trading Hours; Ethereum.org Staking.

According to @LexSokolin, Ethereum addressed key financial infrastructure needs such as programmable money, composability, and settlement as far back as 2015, despite initial limitations in scalability, privacy, and regulatory integration. As these challenges are gradually overcome, Ethereum’s increasing functionality is enabling banks and fintechs to adopt blockchain solutions for programmable payments and secure settlements, which is expected to boost ETH’s role in institutional transactions and drive trading volumes. Source: @LexSokolin