BitGo, a cryptocurrency custody platform company, has launched a research and innovation unit called BitGo Labs, The Block reported on Tuesday.

BitGo Labs will design, launch and validate next-generation services with potential in the cryptocurrency sector, the report said. It will focus first on combining AI and cryptocurrency. BitGo said the AI economy needs crypto financial infrastructure to handle micro-payments, instant settlement and asset protection.

BitGo said it is focusing on services that only virtual assets can provide, such as interest rates and returns that traditional financial systems cannot match. It added that AI can be used to build services in months rather than years.

BitGo Labs also rolled out related projects. A key example is the consumer app Gokubu, already in service, which focuses on optimising user spending with an AI-based card. The app supports users in securing more rewards and benefits by assigning each user a personalised AI financial assistant.

BitGo Labs plans to publish its research results and build protocol prototypes.

BitGo CEO Mike Belshe (마이크 벨시) said in an interview with The Block earlier this month that AI agents are likely to use stablecoins as their base currency. He cited the view that humans will control AI far longer than some expect.

Belshe said, "Agents can exchange money with each other based on a value they set among themselves," adding, "Still, in the end they will have no choice but to be connected to a system made by humans."