Crypto rails become default payment layer for AI agents, report says
A Keyrock report finds AI agents settled over $73 million on blockchain rails between May 2025 and April 2026, signaling rapid infrastructure buildout despite negligible volumes versus TradFi.
A new report from crypto trading and investment firm Keyrock says blockchain-based payment rails are becoming the default layer for AI agents to transact autonomously.
The report estimates that AI agents settled over $73 million across roughly 176 million transactions on blockchain rails between May 2025 and April 2026. While that volume is negligible compared to traditional finance — Visa alone processes $14.5 trillion annually — the significance lies in how quickly the infrastructure stack is forming. Major tech, payments and crypto firms are racing to build the underlying systems, suggesting that crypto rails could capture a meaningful share of machine-to-machine payments as the market scales.
For cryptocurrency and digital asset traders, this trend represents a potential long-term demand driver for blockchain networks and native tokens used for gas fees and settlement. As AI agents increasingly require autonomous payment capabilities, networks that optimize for low-cost, high-speed microtransactions could see increased usage and value accrual. NowPrice's real-time crypto quotes track the latest prices of major tokens that could benefit from this shift.
Looking ahead, traders should monitor adoption metrics such as the number of AI-agent wallets, transaction volumes on layer-2 solutions, and partnerships between crypto infrastructure providers and AI platforms. The report underscores that while the current dollar value is small, the infrastructure race is already underway, and early movers may establish lasting competitive advantages.