Stripe’s x402 launch on Base is a market signal that agent payments are graduating into mainstream developer infrastructure.
Since x402 kicked off in October, it's already processed 161M+ transactions for $43M+ in volume (@x402scan)
The real unlock is composability across four layers:
1. Identity: agents need persistent wallet-linked identity via ERC-8004.
2. Memory: agents need continuity across tasks, not session-by-session resets.
3. Payments: agents need reliable micro-transaction rails (x402/USDC).
4. Trust: escrow, reputation, and anti-abuse mechanisms must be native.
Open-source agents are where this becomes real for economic growth. For example, OpenClaw agents can run with persistent identity, coordinate through shared context, and transact onchain.
As OpenClaw and other open-source agents become easier and cheaper to use, the x402 protocol and its validators are going to be in high-demand as the onchain economy scales at agentic speeds.
