Artificial intelligence agents handling settlements in crypto have evolved from a speculative idea to a measurable part of the payments landscape over the past year. A collaborative study by crypto investment firm Keyrock, in partnership with Coinbase and the Tempo blockchain, shows machine-to-machine settlements totaling $73 million across 176 million transactions from May last year through April 2026.

Ben Harvey, a researcher with Keyrock, framed the development as a maturation of the field: “In the past 12 months, machine-to-machine payments have gone from concept to a developed ecosystem.” The report adds that incumbents have already deployed more than $8 billion in acquisitions to secure their foothold in what is becoming a new…