Google expands AI search to international markets, potential impact on crypto advertising

Google announced on October 28, 2026, the international expansion of its advertising ads integrated into its artificial intelligence (AI) powered search engine, a decision that could revitalize the group's revenues as the growth of its Search business slows down. This expansion, although lacking a precise timeline, raises questions about its potential impact on advertisers in the crypto-asset sector, whose visibility depends largely on dominant digital platforms. Context Alphabet, Google's parent company, published quarterly results on October 28 that were up 25% year-on-year, with total revenues reaching $127.6 billion. However, this performance did not convince the markets: GOOGL shares fell by 8% after the announcement, reflecting concerns over the slowing growth of Search, its flagship business. The latter grew by 12% year-on-year, compared to 17% in the previous quarter, a sign that Google's historical model is showing signs of fatigue. Faced with this deceleration, the group is betting on AI to transform its search engine and open new sources of revenue. Since May 2026, Google has been experimenting with advertising formats integrated into responses generated by its Gemini model, such as conversational ads or sponsored recommendations. These innovations, until now limited to the United States, will now be deployed internationally, although the countries involved and the timeline have not been specified. At the same time, the crypto-asset sector, whose players rely heavily on online advertising budgets, is observing these developments closely, especially since Google maintains strict restrictions on content related to digital assets. The Facts Google's announcement comes in a contrasting financial context. According to Alphabet's official press release, third-quarter 2026 revenues amounted to $127.6 billion, up 25% year-on-year. The Google Services division, which includes Search, generated $96.3 billion (+11%), while Google Cloud recorded growth of 103%, reaching $30.7 billion. Despite these figures, GOOGL shares declined by 8% after the publication of the results, without the press release identifying a specific catalyst for this drop. Here are the key elements of the AI ads expansion: The international rollout of ads in AI-generated responses will cover several countries, but neither their number nor their identity has been disclosed. Philipp Schindler, Google's Chief Business Officer, indicated that click-through rates for sponsored product ads in AI mode are comparable to those of organic results, according to internal research. However, no independent evaluation has confirmed this data. Users are now formulating queries that are on average three times longer in AI mode, with growing adoption of multimodal searches (voice, images, documents). Google records more than 50 billion visual searches per month. On the technical side, the average Ethereum gas cost stood at 0.0866 gwei as of October 29, 2026, according to data from CryptoScore Pro, a level considered stable for crypto-related advertising transactions. The Bitcoin mempool, for its part, showed 51,631 pending transactions with average fees of 1.827 sat/vB, suggesting sufficient network capacity to absorb a potential increase in advertising demand. Finally, Google has provided no revenue forecasts related to this expansion, nor details on the market selection criteria or potential adaptations of advertising rules for crypto-assets. Ads concerning the latter are expected for the first quarter of 2027, but their content remains unknown at this stage. Understanding Key Concepts Large Language Models (LLM) and AI Search Large Language Models (LLM) are artificial intelligence algorithms capable of understanding and generating text by relying on billions of data points. In Google's case, these models analyze user queries to produce contextual responses, such as summaries or recommendations. For example, a question like "What are the best crypto wallets for beginners?" can trigger a structured response, integrating targeted ads. These systems rely on advertising auctions optimized by machine learning, where advertisers pay to appear in the most relevant responses. Mempool and Bitcoin Transaction Fees The mempool (or memory pool ) is a temporary area where Bitcoin transactions awaiting validation by miners are stored. Its congestion level reflects the demand for block space: the more pending transactions there are, the more fees (expressed in satoshis per byte, sat/vB) tend to increase. A mempool containing 51,631 transactions, as observed on October 29, 2026, indicates moderate network activity. For crypto advertisers, stable fees (here, 1.827 sat/vB) mean that transaction costs remain predictable, a key factor for advertising campaigns involving micro-payments or tokens. Ethereum Gas Cost Gas is the unit of measurement for transaction fees on the Ethereum network. Its cost, expressed in gwei (1 gwei = 0.000000001 ETH), varies depending on network congestion. An average cost of 0.0866 gwei, as recorded on October 29, 2026, corresponds to a low-congestion environment, ideal for decentralized applications (dApps) or Ethereum-based advertising protocols. For example, an advertiser using a smart contract to distribute promotional tokens will pay minimal fees, reducing the operational costs of their campaigns. Crypto-asset Advertising Policies Platforms like Google apply strict rules to regulate advertisements related to crypto-assets, due to the risks of fraud or speculation. These policies may limit the promotion of certain products (such as ICOs or unregulated stablecoins) or require specific certifications. For example, Google prohibits ads for unregulated cryptocurrency futures contracts but allows those from licensed exchanges. The lack of details regarding potential adaptations of these rules for AI mode leaves uncertainty about crypto advertisers' access to new advertising formats. Analysis: what is at stake The…