AI Agent · Coinbase · Cointelegraph
‘Rolled out ecosystem’ based on crypto has sprung up for AI agents: Report
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Stablecoins became the default settlement layer for AI agents as crypto payment rails can handle sub-dollar transactions more efficiently, says a report from Keyrock.
Key facts
- Agents have settled over $73 million across 176 million transactions, and incumbents have deployed more than $8 billion in acquisitions to secure their position in what is emerging as an entirely
- Artificial intelligence agents settling payments have gone from concept to reality in the last 12 months, with $73 million settled across 176 million transactions from May last year through April
- More than 98% of settlements by AI agents were in Circle's USDC (USDC), according to Harvey, who said this serves as both a “validation and a vulnerability” because the entire ecosystem depends
- By the end of the first quarter this year, there were more than 104,000 agents registered across 15 or more directories and registries, according to Harvey
Summary
Artificial intelligence agents settling payments have gone from concept to reality in the last 12 months, with $73 million settled across 176 million transactions from May last year through April 2026, according to crypto investment firm Keyrock. In a report released Thursday, written in collaboration with crypto exchange Coinbase and the blockchain Tempo, Keyrock researcher Ben Harvey said that “in the past 12 months, machine-to-machine payments have gone from concept to a developed ecosystem.” “Agents have settled over $73 million across 176 million transactions, and incumbents have deployed more than $8 billion in acquisitions to secure their position in what is emerging as an entirely new payment stack,” Harvey added. By the end of the first quarter this year, there were more than 104,000 agents registered across 15 or more directories and registries, according to Harvey.