What is ERC-6551?
ERC-6551 (Token Bound Accounts) is a standard that gives every NFT its own smart contract wallet — enabling NFTs to own assets, interact with dApps, and serve as on-chain identities with their own transaction history and holdings.
WHY IT MATTERS
Traditionally, NFTs are passive assets sitting in your wallet. ERC-6551 makes them active entities with their own wallets. An NFT can own tokens, other NFTs, and interact with smart contracts — essentially giving digital identities their own financial agency.
For AI agents, ERC-6551 offers an intriguing identity model. Each agent could be represented by an NFT with a token-bound account — giving the agent an on-chain identity, a wallet, and a transaction history all bundled into a single, transferable package.
Transferring the NFT transfers everything: the agent's identity, wallet, funds, positions, and reputation. This enables agent marketplaces where you can buy/sell configured agent identities with established on-chain histories.
HOW POLICYLAYER USES THIS
Token-bound accounts can serve as agent wallets with PolicyLayer controls. The NFT represents the agent identity, the TBA is the wallet, and PolicyLayer enforces spending policies — creating a complete on-chain agent financial stack.