Visa and Artemis have published a joint research report, "Agentic Payments from the Ground Up," outlining how AI agent payments are developing and where blockchain-based settlement is starting to show traction. The report splits the market into two broad categories. One covers larger commercial payments made by agents on behalf of users, such as airline bookings and subscription management. The other focuses on machine-to-machine micropayments, including API calls and purchases of computing resources, where individual transactions are often below $1.
Among the protocols highlighted, x402, a machine payments protocol incubated by Coinbase and Cloudflare and later managed by the Linux Foundation, has processed about $15 million in adjusted transaction volume since going live in May 2025. It has recorded roughly 109.6 million transactions, with activity centered on Base, Solana, and Polygon. The report also points to Machine Payments Protocol, or MPP, built by Stripe and Tempo with support from Visa. Since launching in March 2026, MPP has settled about $25,000 across around 115,000 transactions.
Visa said the rise of AI agent payments is increasing demand for low-cost, high-frequency, machine-native payment infrastructure. The report adds that stablecoins and blockchain networks could become an important part of micropayment use cases, while the broader payments system is more likely to evolve through a mix of cards and stablecoins rather than one replacing the other.
Visa and Artemis have released a joint report, "Agentic Payments from the Ground Up," examining the development of AI agent payments and the on-chain data tied to that activity.
The report groups AI agent payments into two main categories. One involves larger commercial payments made by agents on behalf of users, including airline bookings and subscription management. The other covers small machine-to-machine payments, such as API calls and purchases of computing resources, with transactions typically below $1.
Latest figures for x402 and MPP
According to the report, x402, a machine payments protocol incubated by Coinbase and Cloudflare and later managed by the Linux Foundation, has processed about $15 million in adjusted transaction volume since its launch in May 2025. It has handled roughly 109.6 million transactions, with most activity taking place on Base, Solana, and Polygon.
Another machine payments protocol, Machine Payments Protocol, or MPP, was built by Stripe and Tempo with contribution support from Visa. Since its launch in March 2026, MPP has completed about $25,000 in settlements and processed around 115,000 transactions.
Visa's view on payment infrastructure
Visa said the growth of AI agent payments is driving demand for low-cost, high-frequency, machine-native payment infrastructure. The report also says stablecoins and blockchain networks could become an important component of micropayment use cases.
On the direction of the broader payments system, the report says the future may not be defined by bank cards or stablecoins replacing each other outright. Instead, the two are more likely to be used together across different scenarios.
This article was originally published by Bit.Fan. For more cryptocurrency news and market insights, visit www.bit.fan. Disclaimer:
The market information, project data, and third-party content displayed on this platform are for industry information sharing only and do not constitute any form of investment advice or return commitment.
Cryptocurrency trading carries high risks. Users should fully assess their risk tolerance and make independent decisions. All profits, losses, and legal responsibilities are borne by the users themselves.
