Analysis: Crypto is becoming the default payment layer for AI Agents, with stablecoin advantages becoming prominent
Odaily Planet Daily reported that according to the latest report from crypto market maker and investment firm Keyrock, as traditional bank card payment systems struggle to meet micro-payment demands, 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 completed over 176 million transactions through on-chain infrastructure, with a settlement volume exceeding $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 purchase market data, cloud computing resources, or AI analysis services. Keyrock believes this growth rate could even surpass the early explosive stage 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 pay for resources such as on-chain analysis and cloud services using USDC, without the need for accounts or subscription systems.
Data shows that approximately 76% of AI Agent payment amounts are lower than the common $0.30 fixed fee threshold of traditional bank cards, with most transaction amounts being only 1 to 10 cents. Therefore, traditional payment networks are unsuitable for machine-to-machine micropayments. On chains like Base and Tempo, stablecoin settlement costs are only "less than one cent."
However, regulation 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 not yet directly covered key issues such as autonomous transactions, liability attribution, and identity verification for AI Agents. (CoinDesk)
