Atul Khekade, co-founder of XDC Network, said AI agent payments are removing delays tied to banks, clearing houses, and business hours, turning payments from a waiting process into a background function that runs at the speed of the underlying network. He said this points to new forms of payment, including possible changes to how invoicing and credit card payments work.
Research cited in the report shows that AI agents carried out more than 176 million on-chain transactions between May 2025 and April 2026, with total value above $73 million. Of those transfers, 76% were below the $0.30 fixed fee threshold commonly associated with card payments. USDC accounted for 98.6% of settlement volume.
To support high-frequency, low-value payments, several companies have introduced related tools and standards. The report names Stripe’s Machine Payment Protocol, Google’s Agent Payment Protocol, Cloudflare’s wallet and payment tools, and Mastercard’s Agent Pay for Machines. XDC is also entering the segment through XDCAI.tech, using the open x402 protocol originally from Coinbase.
Atul Khekade, co-founder of XDC Network, said AI agent payments are removing traditional delays tied to banks, clearing houses, and business hours, shifting payments from a waiting process into a background function that runs continuously at the speed of the underlying network.
He said that change points to what future payment flows could look like, including potential shifts in invoicing and credit card-based payments.
Research shows strong activity in low-value on-chain payments
Research cited by BeInCrypto found that AI agents completed more than 176 million on-chain transactions between May 2025 and April 2026, with total value exceeding $73 million. It also found that 76% of those payments were below the $0.30 fixed fee threshold for credit card payments.
USDC made up 98.6% of settlement share during the period.
Payment firms and platforms are rolling out supporting tools
To serve high-frequency, small-value payments, the sector has introduced several protocols and services, including Stripe’s Machine Payment Protocol (MPP), Google’s Agent Payment Protocol (AP2), Cloudflare’s wallet and payment tools, and Mastercard’s Agent Pay for Machines.
XDC is taking part in that market through the XDCAI.tech platform, using the open x402 protocol originally from Coinbase.
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