AI Agents Process 138 Million Crypto Payments as Micropayments Become the Norm
Autonomous AI Systems Turn Cryptocurrency into Everyday Payment Tools
Artificial intelligence agents are no longer just communicating with each other — they are now paying for services using cryptocurrency. According to new research from Chainalysis, these automated programs completed more than 138 million transactions through Coinbase's x402 protocol on the Base blockchain.
The transactions show AI agents purchasing data, computing power, and access to artificial intelligence models. More than 87% of these payments were worth 10 cents or less, highlighting how stablecoins — cryptocurrencies designed to maintain a steady value, usually pegged to the U.S. dollar — are being used for micropayments.
Geographic Split Reveals Different Development Approaches
U.S.-linked wallets accounted for 88.1% of identified payments for AI model inference, while Chinese-linked wallets represented just 0.1% of the same category. Eric Jardine, Chainalysis' head of research, suggested one possible explanation: Chinese developers may prefer using open-weight models such as DeepSeek and Qwen, which could reduce their need to purchase metered inference services.
Chinese wallets did dominate payments for security and code-analysis services, showing different usage patterns between regions.
Major Payment Companies Back the Protocol
The x402 protocol has gained support from major payment companies including Visa, Mastercard, and Stripe. Coinbase has also begun allowing business customers to accept payments from AI agents through this system.
Yat Siu, co-founder and chairman of Animoca Brands, recently told CoinDesk that he estimates up to 100 billion AI agents could be transacting on the internet over the next few years, using cryptocurrency for these interactions.
What the Data Shows and What It Raises
- AI agents completed 138 million transactions through the x402 protocol
- U.S. wallets dominated AI model inference payments at 88.1%
- Chinese wallets held just 0.1% of AI model payments but led in security services
- Over 87% of analyzed payments were 10 cents or less
- Major payment processors have endorsed the protocol
Questions About Real Demand Remain
While the transaction volume is significant, the data raises questions about whether these micropayments represent genuine commercial demand or early-stage testing. The overwhelmingly small payment sizes suggest the ecosystem is still in development, with most transactions being minimal test payments rather than large-scale commercial exchanges.
Chainalysis released its findings Wednesday as part of its "Inside North America's $3 trillion crypto economy: Agentic commerce accelerates" report.
Where This Technology Is Headed
The x402 protocol appears designed to handle small, frequent payments automatically, which could be essential for AI agents that need to transact continuously without human intervention. Whether this technology matures into substantial commercial use or remains primarily experimental will depend on how developers and businesses adopt it in the coming months.
Sources
Newisty Editorial Team covers technology, cryptocurrency, digital products, online platforms, developer tools and the wider digital economy. Our content is researched from official sources, company announcements, public documentation, market data and other primary or reputable sources. Articles are reviewed and edited before publication for clarity, accuracy and useful context.
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