Keyrock reports that blockchain-based stablecoin payment rails are increasingly serving as the default infrastructure for AI agents, addressing the limitations of traditional banking systems in handling micro-payments. Between May 2025 and April 2026, AI agents executed over 176 million transactions via on-chain infrastructure, settling more than $73 million. This 'Agentic Payments' model enables autonomous software to procure data, computing power, and API access without human intervention, a growth trajectory Keyrock suggests may outpace early stablecoin adoption. Coinbase's x402 protocol has emerged as a leading solution, facilitating direct USDC payments for resources without requiring accounts or subscriptions. Approximately 76% of these transactions fall below the 30-cent fixed fee threshold of traditional bank cards, with most ranging from 1 to 10 cents. In contrast, settlement costs on chains like Base and Tempo remain under one cent, making them highly efficient for machine-to-machine interactions.

However, regulatory uncertainty persists, as frameworks such as Europe's MiCA, the US GENIUS Act, and the EU AI Act have yet to address critical issues including autonomous transaction liability and identity authentication.