Discus Fish of Cobo and Samuel Tse of Animoca Brands discuss how AI agents, digital identity and blockchain could change the way money moves.
Updated
November 2, 2026 12:03 PM
The Agentic Economy Summit at CVCF 2026 explores how AI agents and digital assets could shape the future of business and finance. IMAGE: CYBERPORT
For an AI agent to manage money on someone’s behalf, it needs more than the ability to follow instructions. It must be able to establish whom it represents, access funds and transact within agreed limits.
These are among the questions informing the discussion of AI and digital assets at Cyberport Venture Capital Forum (CVCF) 2026. Ahead of the forum, Discus Fish, CEO and Co-founder of Cobo, and Samuel Tse, Head of Investment and Corporate Finance at Animoca Brands, shared their views on how this convergence could develop—and where they see opportunities for businesses.
Discus Fish points to a longstanding challenge: blockchain can be difficult for everyday users to navigate, but AI agents may find it easier to interact with these networks.
“Blockchains have always been hard for ordinary people to use. AI agents may be better users: the chain is fully transparent and every record is traceable, which suits agents well.”
His outlook comes with a qualification. Both the agents and the networks they would use still need to develop.
“Agents aren’t capable enough yet, and chains are still adapting. But once agents truly run on-chain, the number of users and what’s possible will grow by an order of magnitude.”
Discus Fish says blockchain could reshape how financial assets are issued, traded and settled over the next five years. He also notes that institutional adoption has progressed faster than Cobo initially expected, with individual users no longer leading the shift. “Since 2017, we have believed blockchain will become part of the financial infrastructure of the future. We expected individual users to lead, but institutions moved faster.”
For Fish, the next stage involves a broader range of assets and financial clients.
“What gets redefined next is how assets are issued, traded, and settled. As traditional assets like US equities come on-chain, a much wider range of financial clients will follow.”
Samuel Tse, Head of Investment and Corporate Finance at Animoca Brands, focuses on investment opportunities across digital assets and agentic AI. He sees digital identity as essential to allowing AI agents to act on behalf of people while keeping transactions within the permissions they set.
He believes users should set clear rules for what an AI agent can do, allowing it to complete transactions without requiring approval for each one.
“Once agents can prove who they represent, hold digital assets, and move value under clear rules, the economy stops being click-by-click. You set the policy once—who, how much, for what—and the agent transacts inside it.”
He describes applications ranging from everyday payments and transfers to subscriptions, swaps and earning returns on idle funds. “That’s agentic transactions: payments, transfers, subscriptions, swaps, even chasing a better rate on idle cash. Identity is the trust layer. Assets and credentials are the spending authority—always accountable to the human who granted permission.”
In Tse’s account, the human remains the source of that authority. The agent acts within the permissions granted to it.
To illustrate how AI agents, digital identity and digital assets might work together, Tse offers a hypothetical Hong Kong parent's weekday.
“A Hong Kong parent’s weekday: top up the child’s Octopus, book a weekend football slot, translate a school notice for the helper, check weather before pickup, restock milk at the member price, and keep leftover budget earning until tomorrow.”
At present, he says, completing these tasks requires navigating services that often operate separately.
“Today that means many apps that don't talk to each other, and rails that struggle with micro payments.”
His proposed alternative brings the tasks together under instructions established by the user.
“With an agent, they set the rules once and let it decide what to do. Identity unlocks trust and member prices without oversharing. Digital assets fit the money—per-use fees, hard limits, yield until spend.”
For Tse, this combination could create opportunities across payments, merchants, identity providers and digital-asset platforms. He compares the potential scale of agentic commerce to an earlier change in how consumers accessed services.
“The iPhone in 2007 rewired how people buy and use services for 20 years. We are just at the beginning of a similar paradigm shift, with outcomes we can barely imagine.”
Discus Fish and Samuel Tse offer two perspectives on the emerging agentic economy, from the blockchain infrastructure enabling transactions to the digital identity and permissions that allow AI agents to act on people's behalf. At CVCF 2026, these ideas will become part of a wider conversation with the leaders building and investing in this evolving space.
Be part of the conversation. Join industry leaders, founders and investors at CVCF 2026 on 4–5 November and explore the technologies and opportunities shaping the next phase of business.
Exclusive for Ventureport readers: Use code cvcf26vp to access a Full Access Pass for HK$300, subject to confirmation by the organiser.
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A Massachusetts startup advances scalable light-control tech for AR, AI and imaging markets
Updated
March 17, 2026 1:01 AM
Myrias Optics' Nanoimprinted All-inorganic Metaoptic. PHOTO: MYRIAS OPTICS
Myrias Optics, a Massachusetts-based optical technology startup, has raised US$2.1 million in a Seed 1 financing round to accelerate the commercialization of its advanced light-control technology. The round was led by MassVentures, with participation from existing investors Hoss Investment Inc., Maroon Venture Partners and Tenon Venture Partners, as well as new investors Mill Town Capital, TiE Boston Angels and Doug Crane. This new round follows a US$3.3 million seed financing completed in December 2023, led by Asia Optical, and a US$1.5 million Direct-to-Phase II award from the National Science Foundation. In total, Myrias has secured US$6.9 million to date, positioning it to move from development to scaled production.
The company builds ultra-thin, nano-patterned surfaces that precisely control how light moves through a device. These structures replace or enhance traditional lenses and optical parts inside products such as augmented reality headsets, AI data center hardware, consumer electronics, industrial systems and medical imaging devices. The goal is straightforward: to deliver high optical performance while making the parts easier and more cost-effective to manufacture in large quantities.
Across industries such as augmented reality and AI infrastructure, manufacturers face a common challenge. They need highly precise light-guiding components that can withstand heat and long-term use. At the same time, those components must be produced consistently and at scale. Traditional semiconductor-style fabrication can be costly, while polymer-based optical manufacturing can face limits in durability and thermal stability.
Myrias addresses this gap by using inorganic materials and a nanoimprint manufacturing process to create stable, repeatable optical layers on wafers. This approach is designed to combine performance with manufacturability. In augmented reality systems, for example, the company’s technology enables higher viewing angles while remaining suitable for volume production. In AI data centers, the same material and process advantages support improved light transfer and stronger performance under demanding thermal conditions. These benefits also extend to advanced imaging systems in consumer, industrial and medical markets.
The new Seed 1 funding is intended to expand manufacturing capacity and scale pilot production lines. The company will also continue executing active customer programs. Myrias is already working with strategic partners and Tier 1 supply chain participants to integrate its waveguide and light-shaping solutions into commercial AR platforms, AI photonics systems and advanced imaging products. The capital, therefore, supports a clear next step: moving from validated prototypes to a steady commercial supply.