Rethinking the DNA of Finance
The financial system wasn’t designed for the internet—let alone for artificial intelligence. Most of the infrastructure we rely on today was built before smartphones, before APIs, before globally distributed teams and decentralized ledgers. While everything around money has changed—how we work, how we communicate, how we move value—the operating system of finance has stayed largely the same: siloed, human-dependent, and rigid.
Until now.
A new generation of builders is rethinking financial infrastructure from the ground up—replacing departments with agents, forms with code, and gatekeepers with logic. At the center of this shift is a provocative idea: what if money could think for itself?
“AI isn’t just changing how finance works. It’s changing what finance even is,” says Daniel Zakharov, founder of Buburuza. “It’s no longer about managing money—it’s about designing logic.”
Code, Not Committees
Buburuza doesn’t operate like a traditional bank. There’s no customer service team manually reviewing transfers. No compliance officer triaging KYC queues. No CEO approving credit decisions. Instead, Buburuza runs on autonomous logic—an AI-native protocol where key operations like onboarding, FX optimization, and risk assessments are handled by agents, not analysts. These systems don’t just automate old workflows—they replace them entirely.
This isn’t just a technical upgrade. It’s a philosophical shift. Traditional banks rely on human authority—layers of approvals, committees, and discretion. AI-native systems flip that logic. Authority doesn’t come from titles or hierarchy. It comes from code.
“We weren’t trying to build a smarter bank,” Zakharov says. “We wanted to move past the limitations of banking altogether. Replace human bottlenecks with autonomous logic. That’s the whole point.”
What AI Money Feels Like for Users
So what does this actually mean for everyday users?
Imagine opening a financial account in seconds—not days—without needing to print documents, chase approvals, or visit a physical branch. That’s already a reality with autonomous onboarding. Imagine your wallet nudging you to wait before exchanging currency—because the FX spread is about to improve. Or getting real-time prompts that flag risky transfers before you make them.
In practical terms, AI money brings smarter defaults. Faster decisions. Personalized experiences that adjust based on your behavior—not your paperwork.
“Most people don’t care about ‘autonomous agents,’” Zakharov explains. “What they care about is not having to chase down a customer support ticket. Or wait days for their money to clear. AI lets us deliver that kind of experience—without compromise.”
In the background, intelligent systems monitor spending behavior, identify financial habits, and automatically adjust the system’s logic—offering better fees, smarter routing, and adaptive security in real-time.
AI money doesn’t just execute instructions. It interprets intent. And that means fewer mistakes, better outcomes, and support that feels invisible until it’s needed.
Real-World Impact, Real-Time Logic
AI-native protocols open access to people previously excluded by the system. A freelancer in Nairobi, a digital artist in Manila, or a teenager in Berlin—each can onboard, transact, and grow wealth without needing legacy credit histories, face-to-face verification, or a local branch.
“It’s not about tracking you — it’s about understanding you,” says Zakharov. “AI money doesn’t judge you by a number. It learns how you live and adjusts to support that.”
For example, instead of rejecting users due to a lack of credit history, an AI-native system might identify patterns of responsible behavior: regular rent payments, mobile top-ups, or peer-to-peer transfers. These signals, often invisible to traditional institutions, become valid indicators of trust and eligibility.
For users, the experience is one of financial systems that feel like they were built for them—not against them.
“It’s not about tracking you — it’s about understanding you,” says Zakharov. “AI money doesn’t judge you by a number. It learns how you live and adjusts to support that.”
The Challenges of Autonomous Money
That doesn’t mean the transition will be smooth. Critics warn of black-box decisions, regulatory uncertainty, and potential misuse. These are real risks. But they’re not unique to AI-native systems—they already exist in human-led ones.
“There’s a perception that AI makes decisions harder to explain,” says Zakharov. “But the reality is, most people have never understood how a traditional bank works either. At least with autonomous systems, you can audit the logic.”
Accountability, in this model, becomes a design principle. Systems are expected to provide traceable outputs, transparent scoring logic, and human-readable explanations of automated decisions.
What Comes Next
The idea of AI money might still feel abstract. But the applications are already spreading—and they’re reshaping the landscape.
Self-custodial wallets that flag risks before you transact. Protocols that allow users to pay in crypto or fiat, without switching platforms. Interfaces that support multi-user transaction signing for families, teams, or organizations. These aren’t future features—they’re here now.
“Imagine sending funds and getting a real-time prompt: ‘Are you sure? This looks risky based on your behavior.’ That’s not just smart finance—it’s protective finance,” Zakharov explains.
Autonomous systems are especially important for underserved users. For someone living paycheck to paycheck, a delayed payment can mean missed rent. For a global remote worker, currency mismanagement can mean lost income. AI systems adapt to these realities—offering logic that fits users, not the other way around.
AI money, in this view, is not cold or robotic. It’s contextual. Responsive. Humane.
The End of Banks?
That doesn’t mean banks will disappear overnight. But their role will change.
“Most people don’t want a new bank,” Zakharov says. “They want a better relationship with money. That’s what AI lets us design.”
In a few years, users may not know—or care—whether the institution they use is a bank at all. What they’ll care about is whether it works. Whether it protects them. Whether it gets smarter over time.
We’re not just watching finance evolve. We’re watching it reboot.
