Digital Bytes 11th February 2026
A weekly analysis of who, how, where and why blockchain and digital assets are being used globally in various industries
How AI becomes an economic actor in Web3: wallets, smart contracts and autonomy - artificial intelligence is evolving from tool to autonomous economic participant in Web3. AI agents now hold embedded wallets, execute smart contracts, manage yield farming, trade on-chain and participate in DAO governance without human intervention. Unlike standard wallets, AI-built wallets are programmable, self-optimising and persistent, enabling true on-chain economic activity. This shift blurs lines between code and capital, agents become market makers, liquidity providers and voters. The result is a multi-agent economy where autonomy, not ownership, defines value creation thereby fundamentally reshaping DeFi, governance and digital finance.
CLARITY Act: the unclear crypto bill - Coinbase torpedoed the CLARITY Act hours before the Senate vote, citing stablecoin yield bans threatening 20% of its revenue. The industry fractured: a16z, Ripple and Kraken argue imperfect regulation beats limbo and Coinbase insists bad law causes permanent damage. After spending $250 million electing crypto-friendly lawmakers, the industry’s greatest obstacle is itself. With mid-terms approaching and the legislative window closing, crypto faces its defining question: does it want regulatory certainty or corporate protectionism? The irony is stark - industry built on decentralisation cannot agree on centralised rules.
Tokenisation does not reduce risk but repackages it - tokenised stocks promise continuous price discovery and democratic access through fractional ownership, therefore potentially ending volatility-amplifying market gaps. Yet this efficiency creates new systemic fragility: instant settlement eliminates traditional circuit breakers, smart contracts can propagate crashes at digital speed and cross-border liquidity fragments across incompatible platforms; traditional exchanges face extinction or transformation. The provocative questions are: does the future of traditional stock exchanges belong to whomever controls the tokenisation infrastructure, and can markets designed for continuous operation survive continuous crisis?
Florida’s tokenised homesteads: the sunshine state’s bid to become the Switzerland of secure asset storage - Florida is positioning itself as a global safe haven for real estate wealth by fusing its powerful homestead exemption with real-estate tokenisation. The result is an asset that is simultaneously liquid, fractional and unusually resistant to creditor seizure. Tokenised ownership lowers barriers to entry, attracts global capital and shortens transaction cycles, whilst homestead protection anchors value in a uniquely debtor-friendly legal regime. This unique combination creates the possibility to redraw capital flows: Florida property becomes not merely an investment, but a balance-sheet shelter. The risk is regulatory friction, but the prize is a structurally more liquid, real estate market - the model for which can be replicated globally.