Australia's 40-Year Plan Cites AI Revolution but Ignores Crypto Assets
Treasury's new report highlights agentic AI as a key economic driver while completely omitting digital assets from its long-term strategy.
Key points
- The Australian Treasury’s 40-year outlook names AI as a primary economic driver but excludes crypto.
- Digital finance innovations are estimated to generate 24 billion Australian dollars in annual economic gains.
- Industry leaders argue the report misses the payment infrastructure needed for agentic AI systems.
The Australian Treasury’s new 40-year economic outlook identifies artificial intelligence as a central driver of future prosperity. The report explicitly omits any mention of cryptocurrency or digital assets from its strategic analysis.
This omission stands in contrast to the significant economic potential estimated for digital finance innovations. Industry leaders argue the government is missing critical infrastructure needs for the emerging agentic economy.
Five major transitions shape the outlook
The Intergenerational Report lists five key transitions that will define the next four decades. Artificial intelligence ranks first due to its rapid capability growth and expanding autonomous usage.
The other four drivers include geopolitical conflicts, an aging population, and the shift to clean energy. Australia’s ongoing industrial transformation toward services also plays a major role in this long-term view.
Industry critics highlight the regulatory gap
Coinbase Australia’s John O’Loghlen stated that the report misses the financial infrastructure required for AI agents. He emphasized that these systems will need robust payment rails to function effectively.
The Digital Finance Cooperative Research Centre estimates digital finance could yield 24 billion Australian dollars in annual gains. This figure underscores the economic value that remains outside the current Treasury strategy.
Separate strategy addresses financial infrastructure
A separate Financial Innovation Strategy released in September does link AI to payment systems. It notes that agentic systems will drive demand for real-time and programmable transactions.
TradingView reported that the Reserve Bank of Australia has increased focus on tokenized finance. However, the main 40-year outlook still lacks a dedicated section on digital assets.
