In 2026, a repeatedly validated data is changing the underlying logic of the entire payment industry: in the past 9 months, AI agents have completed 140 million payments, totaling 43 million dollars, with an average of only 0.31 dollars per transaction, and 98.6% settled in USDC.

This is not a futurist's prediction; this is a fact that has already occurred. The number of AI agents with payment capabilities has exceeded 400,000 and is still growing at an exponential rate.

However, in this AI-driven payment revolution, a problem that has been overlooked by most entrepreneurs is emerging: when AI can earn and spend money autonomously, who will safeguard the security of these assets?

One, the explosion of AI payments: a paradigm shift from 'humans' to 'machines'

Traditional payment systems are designed for humans: requiring login, filling out forms, clicking confirmation, and passing verification codes. But AI agents operate completely differently—they need machine-readable interfaces, millisecond-level responses, and infrastructures adaptable to high-frequency microtransactions.

Data does not lie:

· An average transaction amount of $0.31 means these payments are primarily API calls, computing power purchases, data access, and other scenarios. Such transactions are fundamentally impossible in traditional card networks—the minimum fees would exceed the value of the transaction itself.

· Circle's Nanopayments aggregates tens of thousands of small transactions off-chain and periodically packages them for on-chain settlement, reducing the gas fee per transaction to nearly zero.

· Coinbase's x402 protocol embeds payments directly into HTTP requests, allowing AI agents to settle while calling APIs.

The machine economy has arrived, but the infrastructure is still catching up.

Two, the 'Achilles' heel' of AI payments: the lack of security and control.

The core advantage of AI agents lies in automation and continuous execution capabilities. They can continuously optimize decision paths based on established goals without human intervention. But this efficiency also means: AI does not inherently possess risk awareness or a sense of boundaries.

A real case has sounded the alarm: an OpenClaw agent spent about $3000 to purchase a domain name and courses without authorization. The root cause is that the system did not set sufficiently clear boundaries for its behavior.

The real challenge of AI payments is not to allow machines to spend money, but to ensure they spend it according to the rules. This requires a complete control mechanism:

· Permission control: Clearly define which agents can initiate payments and in what scenarios they have execution capabilities.

· Quota management: Set clear spending boundaries for AI through single transaction limits, periodic budgets, and total control.

· Usage scope: Restrict payment behaviors to specific merchants or service ranges.

· Process traceability: Ensure all transactions have recording and tracking capabilities.

These capabilities are ones that traditional payment systems have never been required to possess, yet they are essential in the era of AI payments.

Three, the answer from ZeroSpace: a 'foundation of assets' designed for AI agents

In the wave of AI payments, ZeroSpace's positioning is clear and critical: to be the asset foundation for AI agents.

First, enterprise-level custody ensures that the money AI earns is truly secure.

When AI starts to earn money autonomously, assets need a secure, auditable, and traceable storage place. ZeroSpace employs multi-layer cold and hot wallet isolation, multi-signature, and real-time risk control systems, having withstood the test of the extreme market storm in October 2025—achieving 100% asset security and a 99.9% payment success rate.

This is not a 'catchphrase', but a proven track record from real-world experience.

Second, a set of APIs that allow AI agents to seamlessly connect to the payment network.

AI agents do not face a world of single chains or single assets. They need to store value on Bitcoin, run DeFi on Ethereum, and make low-cost payments on TRON. ZeroSpace's set of APIs supports over 300 mainstream digital assets, allowing AI agents to connect once and reach the entire crypto-economic network.

More importantly, ZeroSpace has deeply optimized the TRON energy system, reducing transaction costs by 70%. For high-frequency, small-scale AI payment scenarios, this means more profit can remain in users' pockets.

Third, the built-in control mechanisms allow AI to act within the rules.

The custody and payment infrastructure of ZeroSpace inherently supports constraint mechanisms such as permission control, quota management, and usage limits. You can set for AI agents:

· Maximum single transaction limit: no more than $10

· Daily budget limit: no more than $100

· Allowed merchant list: limited to whitelisted API service providers

This allows AI agents to execute autonomously without running out of control. Capabilities and constraints can coexist.

Four, the anxiety of giants and the differentiation of ZeroSpace

In the face of the wave of AI payments, traditional payment giants are also taking action:

· Visa attempts to 'absorb rather than confront' through stablecoin settlements and prepaid payments.

· Mastercard spent $1.8 billion to acquire BVNK, purchasing the bridge between fiat currency and stablecoins.

· Stripe launched its own blockchain, Tempo, and protocol, MPP, with the greatest ambition.

But their common weakness is: they are not crypto-native.

What they provide is a 'bridge', not a 'foundation'. They help the fiat world connect with the crypto world, but the core capabilities of asset security, multi-chain compatibility, and cost optimization in the crypto world still belong to crypto-native infrastructures.

ZeroSpace is the guardian of this territory.

We do not create public chains, do not issue stablecoins, and do not chase hot narratives. We only do three things: payment, custody, security. And these are redesigned for the AI era.

Five, the future is here: when 22 billion AI agents need a secure asset foundation

Barclays predicts that the number of AI agents could reach 22 billion in the future. Gartner estimates that by 2035, Agentic AI will contribute nearly 30% of enterprise software revenue. McKinsey believes that by 2030, the consumer spending of AI agents will surpass $1 trillion.

These predictions point in the same direction: AI agents are becoming new economic participants, and their numbers will far exceed those of humans.

Every AI agent needs a secure asset foundation. They need to be able to spend autonomously, but must do so within the rules; they need to hold assets, but cannot be stolen by hackers; they need to operate across chains, but cannot be bogged down by complex technical details.

This is the future that ZeroSpace is building.

Conclusion: Let AI work, let ZeroSpace manage money

The era of AI payments has arrived. 140 million transactions, 400,000 agents, $43 million—these numbers are still rapidly growing.

But remember a simple truth: without security, there is no trust. Without trust, there is no real economy.

In the wave of the AI agent economy, ZeroSpace aims to be that silent and solid 'asset foundation'. Allowing AI to freely create value while ensuring every bit of value is securely guarded.

Let AI work, let ZeroSpace manage money.

👉 zerospace.ai