Australia’s 40‑Year Economic Outlook Highlights AI, Skips Crypto

The Australian Treasury’s latest Intergenerational Report identifies artificial intelligence as one of five major transitions that will shape the nation’s economy over the next four decades. The other transitions are geopolitical conflicts, an aging population, the shift to clean energy, and an industrial transformation toward services.

AI Emphasised, Crypto Omitted

The report describes “agentic AI systems” as increasingly capable, autonomous and widely used, noting that they now surpass human‑level performance on some benchmarks. Coinbase Australia country director John O’Loghlen said the report “completely misses the financial infrastructure those agents will need,” highlighting the absence of any discussion of crypto or digital finance.

Financial Innovation Strategy Provides Some Context

In a separate Treasury document titled the “Financial Innovation Strategy,” released on September 3, the link between AI and financial infrastructure is addressed. The strategy notes that agentic systems could boost automated and machine‑to‑machine transactions, creating demand for real‑time, interoperable and programmable payment systems.

Industry Perspective

O’Loghlen pointed to recent progress such as the Digital Asset Platform framework, which offers regulatory clarity for digital assets. He called for similar focus on a “tokenized stored‑value facility framework for stablecoins” and clear rules for tokenized markets, arguing that these are the rails on which AI‑driven finance will operate.

Broader Context

Previous Intergenerational Reports have also omitted digital assets. The omission comes despite the Reserve Bank of Australia’s recent emphasis on tokenized finance and a Digital Finance Cooperative Research Centre estimate that digital finance innovations could generate about 24 billion Australian dollars in annual economic gains.