Golden Finance reports that AI Agents are rapidly becoming key participants in the on-chain economy. From 2025 to 2026, approximately 176 million transactions were made, with settlement amounts exceeding $73 million, and individual transactions ranging from $0.31 to $0.48, indicating the emergence of micro-payment economy. About 76% of transaction volume is below the $0.3 threshold, which traditional payments struggle to accommodate. 98.6% of payments are settled in USDC, with over 104k registered AI Agents. The cost of USDC transfers on the Base network is only $0.0001, far below the transaction amounts. Stablecoins are becoming the default infrastructure for the AI economy, but heavy reliance on USDC introduces centralization risks.

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2026-05-25 22:36:16

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Golden Finance reports that on May 26, the crypto market maker Keyrock, in collaboration with Coinbase, Tempo, and Virtuals Protocol, released the "Who Pays the Agent?" report stating that AI Agents are rapidly becoming important participants in on-chain economics. Data shows that between May 2025 and April 2026, AI Agents have completed approximately 176 million on-chain transactions, with a total settlement amount exceeding $73 million. The report points out that the average payment per AI Agent transaction is only $0.31 to $0.48, indicating that machine-native micro-payment economies are forming. About 76% of the transaction amounts are below the $0.3 fixed fee threshold of Visa, making traditional bank card and banking payment systems increasingly incompatible with AI high-frequency, small, autonomous payment needs.
Data shows that 98.6% of AI Agent payments are settled using USDC. By Q1 2026, over 104k AI Agents have registered. The report states that on the Base network, a USDC transfer costs about $0.0001, which is only about 0.03% of a $0.31 transaction amount, demonstrating a significant cost advantage over traditional payment systems. The report believes that stablecoins are gradually becoming the "default monetary infrastructure" for economic activities between AI and machines. However, Keyrock also warns that the current AI payment ecosystem's heavy reliance on USDC poses centralization risks, meaning that the emerging AI payment system largely depends on the regulation and infrastructure stability of a single stablecoin issuer.

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Report: AI Agent has completed over $73 million in on-chain payments, with USDC becoming the default settlement asset

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