Crypto rails become default payment layer for AI agents

A new report from Keyrock indicates that stablecoins on blockchain networks are emerging as the primary payment method for AI agents, particularly for micropayments. Over the past year, AI agents settled more than $73 million across 176 million blockchain transactions, with nearly all transactions utilizing USDC. This trend highlights the growing importance of Circle's stablecoin and the potential risks associated with over-reliance on a single issuer. Major companies like Coinbase, Stripe, Google, and Visa are actively developing competing infrastructures for these machine-to-machine payments, anticipating significant market growth.