Base x402 Payments Top 138 Million, Revenue Unclear

Chainalysis reported more than 138 million transactions through the x402 payment protocol on Coinbase’s Base network during its 2026 reporting period, a sharp increase from roughly 1,500 in mid-2025. The figures point to rapidly expanding use of automated cryptocurrency payments, but transaction totals do not establish how many involved autonomous AI agents or generated sustainable business revenue. The transactions allow software to pay for digital services, including data, computing resources and access to AI models. More than 87% of the x402 payments analyzed by Chainalysis were between $0.0001 and $0.10, amounts suited to micropayments but too small to process economically through conventional card networks, according to the firm. Wallet activity also showed more repeat funding. Among wallets first funded in the second quarter of 2026, 89.3% received additional funds within 30 days, compared with 70.6% of wallets first funded in the third quarter of 2025. Chainalysis reported that the median time from wallet funding to a first x402 payment fell from 73 days in late 2025 to 18 minutes in the third quarter of 2026.