Agent settlements, which are automated trading by AI agents, surged to a three-month high this week.
These payments are primarily processed through x402, a payment standard developed by Coinbase, which is currently managed under the Linux Foundation, and data shows that 672,800 transactions were recorded on the Base network on June 10th. artemis, Mr. Finvold analyzed it on June 11th.
x402 activity has increased approximately 321% over the past three months, from 159,600 transactions on March 13, 2026 to 672,800 payments on June 10, 2026. Agent payments picked up steam in early June after a long hiatus.
This increase coincided with Travala’s launch of Travala Travel MCP, an agent reservation protocol built on Base, in early June. The protocol enables AI agents to autonomously search, book, and pay for hotel stays at 2.2 million hotels. $USDC ($USDC) Just $0.01 per booking.
Additionally, average transaction size for agents recently fell to three-month lows of around $0.11 for x402 and around $0.09 for Machine Payments Protocol, the payment standard developed by Stripe and Paradigm’s Tempo blockchain.
What’s next for payments on behalf of others?
With the mainstream adoption of artificial intelligence (AI), agent payments are gaining traction. Recent reports from chain analysis Transactions of $1 or more now account for 95% of remittances, up from 49% at the beginning of 2025, pointing to signs that demand for these payments is maturing.
According to Travala statistics, agent commerce could reach $8 billion in 2026 and grow to $3.5 trillion by 2031. As a result, the recent surge may be in the early stages of agent payments, with x402 playing a key role in mainstream adoption.
