This post is a guest contribution by George Siosi Samuels, managing director at Faiā. See how Faiā is committed to staying at the forefront of technological advancements here.
Bitcoin’s white paper promised a future where micropayments—small, efficient, peer-to-peer transactions—could transform global commerce. While Bitcoin has pivoted to a “digital gold” narrative, artificial intelligence (AI) platforms like Bolt.new are rapidly adopting models that touch on Bitcoin’s original vision. Token-based payment systems in AI services create a new frontier, pushing micropayments from theory into practice.
But this story has grown even more interesting. With Stripe’s recent moves—launching usage-based billing models optimized for AI tools and acquiring Bridge (for $1.1 billion) for stablecoin payment infrastructure—we’re seeing cultural and systemic shifts that may shape the future of micro (or even nano) payments.
This evolution creates some tension as platforms like Stripe and even Bolt.new move toward efficient, scalable micropayment models, they raise fundamental questions about transparency, fairness, and …