TLDR:
- The Solana Foundation reports 15 million on-chain agent payments already processed on its network
- Stablecoins are emerging as the default payment rail for AI agents buying computational resources.
- Vibhu Norby says 95 to 99% of future crypto transactions will originate directly from AI agents.
- Solana developers are building machine-readable skill files and AI-first platforms for agents.
Solana is positioning itself as core infrastructure for an emerging “agentic” internet. The Solana Foundation reports the network has already processed 15 million on-chain agent payments.
Stablecoins are emerging as the default payment rail for AI-driven compute and services. Vibhu Norby, the foundation’s chief product officer, shared these updates at the Digital Asset Summit in New York on March 25, 2026. This shift, he said, could change how the internet is monetized at its core.
Solana Emerges as the Default Payment Layer for AI Agents
The Solana Foundation is making a strong case for the network’s role in machine-to-machine commerce. Norby confirmed the network has already “processed 15 million payments onchain from agents,” pointing to real and measurable activity.
He added that “the programmatic aspect of crypto payments is what is making it interesting for agents.” Stablecoins, he noted, are “going to be the default thing that agents use to pay for any computational resource.”
Traditional payment systems are not built to handle sub-cent, pay-per-use transactions at scale. Norby pointed to this gap directly, stating that agentic payments support low-cost, high-frequency activity that “traditional rails cannot handle.”
Solana’s performance-focused design addresses this need efficiently. This gives the network a clear edge as AI-driven commerce continues to grow across industries.
Norby described AI agents as logical and performance-driven systems that prioritize results over loyalty. “Agents are cold, calculated machines… they don’t subscribe to crypto religiosity,” he told panelists at the summit.
He went further, noting that “if you ask an agent what’s the best way to pay for something with crypto, most of the time, Solana is showing up at the top.” This positions Solana not by preference, but by performance.
The 15 million on-chain agent payments already processed reflect steady, measurable real-world activity on the network. This figure confirms that machine-to-machine commerce is gaining ground on Solana.
As AI systems scale globally, transaction volumes from agents are expected to increase substantially over time.
Agentic Payments Signal a Broader Shift in Internet Monetization
Beyond payments, the Solana Foundation is watching a wider platform transformation take shape across the tech sector.
Norby stated that “AI is not really a vertical. It’s a platform shift… affecting everything across every industry, including crypto.”
He argued that “agentic payments are probably going to change the entire way that the internet is monetized.” This framing sets the stage for entirely new internet business models built around autonomous agents.
Developers on Solana are already building tools designed directly for AI systems to use. Norby noted that “what agents like is APIs and documentation and skills,” pointing to machine-readable skill files and AI-first developer platforms.
The aim is to make Solana more accessible for agents through clean, structured tooling. This active development effort reflects a deliberate shift in how the ecosystem is being built.
Advances in AI are also removing long-standing technical barriers for developers working across ecosystems. Machines and developers can now build cross-platform tools more easily than before.
This opens room for more AI-native applications and cross-chain solutions to take hold on Solana. The result is a more open and developer-friendly network overall.
Looking ahead, Norby expects AI agents to become the standard interface through which people interact with crypto.
He projected that “the default way people will interact with crypto is going to be through their agent… 95 to 99% of all transactions… will be coming from LLMs.” Agentic payments, in his assessment, are set to transform the entire way the internet operates financially.
