Analysis: Crypto is Becoming the Default Payment Layer for AI Agents, with Stablecoin Advantages Becoming Evident

Odaily reports that Keyrock, a crypto market maker and investment firm, has released its latest report indicating that as traditional bank card payment systems struggle to meet the demands of micropayments, blockchain-based stablecoin payment rails are gradually becoming the default payment layer for AI agents.

The report shows that between May 2025 and April 2026, AI agents have already completed over 176 million transactions via on-chain infrastructure, settling over $73 million.

So-called "Agentic Payments" refer to AI software that can autonomously purchase data, computing power, APIs, or AI services without requiring manual authorization for each transaction. For example, an AI trading agent can continuously and automatically buy market data, cloud computing resources, or AI analysis services. Keyrock believes this growth rate could even surpass the early explosive phase of stablecoins.

Currently, the x402 protocol launched by Coinbase has become one of the leading crypto-native machine payment solutions, allowing AI agents to directly use USDC to pay for resources like on-chain data analysis and cloud services, without the need for accounts or subscription systems.

Data indicates that approximately 76% of AI agent payments fall below the common 30-cent fixed fee threshold associated with traditional bank card payments, with most transactions valued between just 1 and 10 cents. Consequently, traditional payment networks are unsuitable for machine-to-machine micropayments. In contrast, on networks like Base and Tempo, the cost of settling stablecoin transactions is "less than one cent."

However, regulatory issues could still become a limiting factor for industry growth. The report points out that new regulatory frameworks, including Europe's MiCA, the US GENIUS Act, and the EU AI Act, have yet to directly cover key issues such as autonomous transactions, liability attribution, and identity authentication for AI agents. (CoinDesk)