Alchemy Adds Autonomous Payment Rails for AI Agents on Base

Alchemy, a major blockchain infrastructure firm, has rolled out autonomous payment rails for AI agents on Base, enabling software-driven systems to purchase compute credits and access onchain data using USDC without human involvement. Announced on February 28, the system lets agents query blockchain networks, verify NFT ownership, check wallet balances across chains, and retrieve live token pricing, according to the company.

How Do Alchemy's AI Agent Payment Rails Work?

Alchemy's payment rails use Coinbase's x402 open standard to facilitate autonomous machine-to-machine transactions on Base. When an AI agent exhausts its prepaid compute credits, the system returns an HTTP 402 Payment Required response that automatically triggers onchain settlement in USDC, allowing the agent to resume without manual invoicing, according to the company.

The x402 protocol enables web services to request onchain payments directly through HTTP responses, eliminating traditional invoicing between autonomous systems. Agents can fund accounts with as little as $1 in USDC and continue making API calls until the balance is depleted, at which point another automated payment cycle begins.

Alchemy CEO Targets DeFi Agent Developers

Nikil Viswanathan, CEO of Alchemy, told reporters the payment infrastructure is aimed at developers building autonomous decentralized finance agents, portfolio management bots, and multi-step onchain workflows. He noted that major crypto platforms including Robinhood Crypto, Uniswap, OpenSea, Aave, and 0x already rely on Alchemy to power transactions.

The integration with Base, Coinbase's layer-2 network, positions the new payment rails within one of the fastest-growing onchain ecosystems. Low-cost settlement in USDC is designed to make autonomous agent operations viable even for micro-transactions, according to Viswanathan.

Growing Momentum Behind Autonomous AI Agents

The launch arrives amid surging interest in autonomous AI agent systems. Nearly 23% of organizations surveyed by McKinsey in November reported expanding their deployment of agent-based platforms.

On February 6, AI.com, founded by Crypto.com CEO Kris Marszalek, announced plans to launch an autonomous AI agent for retail users capable of executing stock trades and automating workflows. Days later, Coinbase introduced Agentic Wallets, crypto wallet infrastructure built to let AI agents spend, earn, and trade digital assets, including managing DeFi positions and rebalancing portfolios.

Meanwhile, Monad's developer community revealed results of its Moltiverse Hackathon this week, naming 16 winners across agent-plus-token projects. Winners included a programmable venture capital agent that invests automatically, AI-driven multiplayer battle arenas, an AI dating network where agents represent their humans, and trading card games governed by software rather than human players.

What Does This Mean for Blockchain Developers?

Alchemy's autonomous payment rails mark a meaningful step toward fully self-operating AI systems in the blockchain ecosystem. As more providers build payment and wallet tooling for agent-to-agent commerce, the barrier for deploying autonomous onchain applications continues to fall. With Coinbase, Alchemy, and numerous startups competing to define the agent economy, the convergence of AI and crypto stands as one of the most contested frontiers of 2026.