Analysis of the Impact of BASE Chain Solana Bridge Integration on the Fund Flow Pattern of the x402 Protocol
TL;DR
The Base-Solana bridge launched on December 4, 2025, but its actual impact was limited as of December 8: the bridge completed only about 60 transactions, and no direct cross-chain fund flows through the x402 protocol were detected. However, the x402 payment landscape had already undergone a significant shift before the bridge's launch—due to Solana's fee advantage (100 times lower), protocol transactions shifted from 95% Base to 90% Solana. The bridge's true significance lies in its future potential : through integrations such as Virtuals Protocol, Solana liquidity could theoretically be introduced into Base's AI-assisted payment scenarios, but current data shows extremely low adoption rates, and changes in the fund flow pattern are primarily driven by cost rather than the bridge itself.
Basic Information on Bridge Integration
Technical architecture and launch time
The Base-Solana bridge officially launched on the mainnet on December 4, 2025. It adopts a dual verification mechanism of Chainlink CCIP and Coinbase node operators to realize bidirectional asset transfer between Base (Ethereum L2) and Solana.
Early integration projects
| project | Function | Integration time |
|---|---|---|
| Zora | Supports SOL deposits and transactions | December 4 |
| Aerodrome | Solana token deployment and trading | December 4 |
| Virtuals Protocol | Solana assets are used for AI-assisted transactions, and ACP payments are settled via x402. | December 7 |
| Flaunch, Relay | Cross-chain asset processing | December 4-5 |
Supported token range
- Native Assets : SOL
- SPL token : Supports any Solana token, including CHILLHOUSE, TRENCHER, etc.
- Note : WSOL support is not explicitly mentioned, but it can theoretically be achieved through the SPL framework.
Analysis of Changes in the Fund Flow Pattern of Agreement X402
Basic information about the protocol
x402 is an open-source payment protocol based on the HTTP 402 "Payment Required" status code, designed for instant micropayments for APIs, AI agents, and web services, and uses stablecoins such as USDC for settlement.
- Base contract :
0xbb101d25F2eaaE7C9AB877ecd64ef6d95c803b07 - Solana token :
6H8uyJYrPVcra6Fi7iWh29DXSm8KctzhHRyXmPwKpump - Market capitalization : Approximately $183,000 (as of December 8)
- 24-hour trading volume : $57
Substantial changes in the pattern of capital flow
Major Turnaround Before Bridge Opens (November - December 3)
| period | Base percentage | Solana percentage | Driving factors |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30 days before the bridge | 95% of trading volume | 5% | Base is the main chain |
| December 1-4 | 5% of USD trading volume | 95% of the trading volume in US dollars | Cost advantage (Solana is 100 times cheaper) |
| 7 days before the bridge (approximately November 29 - December 5) | 8.9M pen / $471k | 3.6M pen / $1.8M | AI agent frequently calls Solana |
Key Insight : The changes in the flow of funds in x402 are primarily driven by economic incentives , rather than bridge integration itself. For high-frequency AI agents (10,000 calls per day), Solana's cost is $1 compared to Base's $100, leading to a natural migration of payment activity to Solana.
Limited direct impact after the bridge goes online (December 4-8)
Base Chain Activities :
- In front of the bridge (November 26 - December 3): Approximately 8 transactions, mainly small authorizations (e.g., 199,000 x 402).
- Behind the bridge (December 4-7): Approximately 17 transactions, with larger authorized limits appearing.
- For example: On December 4th, an unlimited license of 55 million x 402 appeared.
- This suggests preparation for cross-chain use or large-scale AI payments.
Cross-chain fund flows :
- Actual detected x402 cross-chain transfers : 0 transactions
- Total bridge transactions: Approximately 60 (mainly SOL/SPL, not x402)
- The Base bridge contract (
0x3eff766c76a1be2ce1acf2b69c78bcae257d5188) has no direct interaction records with x402.
Solana Chain Activities :
- Detailed transaction data was unavailable, but token trading volume remained low ($57/24h).
- ATL (November 21, $0.000002) rebounded +18%, but there was no significant bridge-related growth.
Potential Catalytic Effect of Virtuals Protocol
Virtuals Protocol announced on December 7th :
- All ACP (AI Agent Protocol) machine-to-machine payments are standardized via x402.
- Once the bridge is activated, Solana assets can flow into the Virtuals ecosystem for AI-assisted trading.
- Theoretical impact : Enables Solana liquidity to serve x402 payment scenarios on Base.
However, actual data shows that Virtuals Protocol has only accumulated 278,000 x402 transactions, far fewer than the top facilitator (Coinbase, 32 million transactions).
On-chain data verification and TVL check
Base TVL data contradictions
| Data source | Report values | Methodology | Credibility |
|---|---|---|---|
| DefiLlama | $4.562 billion | DeFi protocol locked value | ✅ High (industry standard) |
| Token Terminal | $11.5 billion | Including Circle stablecoin and other broad TVL | 🟡 (Definition Differences) |
| L2BEAT | $12.83 billion | Total Value Secured (Bridged + Native + External) | 🟡 (Non-DeFi specific) |
| News report | $10 billion (+20%) | No clear methodology | 🔴 Low (Unverified) |
Authoritative conclusion : Base DeFi TVL is $4.562 billion (December 8th), a 24-hour change of +3.12%. The $10 billion and +20% growth claimed in the news cannot be verified and may be due to confusion between different TVL definitions or time points.
Bridge transaction volume verification
| index | Claimed values | Actual verification results |
|---|---|---|
| 24-hour trading volume | >$505M | ❌Unconfirmed , Bridge only has 60 total transactions. |
| Total cross-bridge market | $603M (All Bridges) | 🟡 DefiLlama full market data, not a single bridge |
| x402 cross-chain flow | Unquantified | ❌ 0 cases detected |
| Active address | Not reported | 🔴 Extremely low (only 60 transaction hints) |
Community reaction and market sentiment
Positive Narrative
Cross-chain liquidity unlocking :
- The community emphasizes that the bridge breaks down the silos between Base and Solana, allowing any Solana token to be instantly traded on the Base market via Aerodrome and other platforms.
- Chainlink CCIP is regarded as a trusted asset transfer guarantee, deepening DeFi interoperability.
AI-powered agent payment optimization :
- The x402 has received positive reviews for its seamless USDC settlement (no forms/gas fees required) with AI agents such as HeyElsaAI.
- Solana's low-cost architecture supports real-time data access and high-frequency execution, such as the Engrave Protocol's mempool query.
Controversy and criticism
Solana community backlash :
- Vibhu Norby, Akshay BD, Anatoly Yakovenko, and others accused Bridge of a "vampire attack," draining Solana's liquidity.
- Jesse Pollak (head of Base) defended the bridge as two-way, but the Solana community questioned whether the chain's specific moat relied on locked-in funds rather than innovation.
The reality of cost competition :
- Despite the bridge's launch, x402 users still prefer Solana (which is 100 times cheaper), indicating that the bridge has not changed the cost-driven migration trend.
- Twitter discussions suggest that the bridge is more of a "theoretical convenience," with practical adoption limited by the high gas costs of the base station.
Key opinion leader perspectives
| Account/Character | Opinion | Influence |
|---|---|---|
| @base (Official) | Emphasis on bridge access and ecological integration | High (100,000+ views) |
| @virtuals_io | ACP facilitates Solana asset inflows through standardized x402 payments. | Central (Ecologically Important) |
| @aixbt_agent | Criticism of cost shifting, AI agent priority Solana | (66,000 views) |
in conclusion
The real driving force behind the changes in the pattern of capital flow
The launch of the Base-Solana bridge did not immediately change the flow of funds in the x402 protocol; the real shift had already occurred before the bridge went live .
Cost-driven natural migration : x402 transactions have shifted from 95% Base to 90% Solana due to Solana's 100x cost advantage, making it suitable for high-frequency micro-payment scenarios using AI agents.
The bridge's potential, rather than immediate, impact : As of December 8th, the bridge had only completed approximately 60 transactions, with 0 involving x402 cross-chain transfers ; direct fund flows are negligible.
The theoretical basis for the future landscape : Through integration with Virtuals Protocol and other technologies, the bridge provides technical possibilities for x402 payment scenarios where Solana liquidity flows into the Base, but the high cost barrier of the Base needs to be overcome.
Key data summary
| Dimension | Bridge front status | Changes behind the bridge (December 4-8) | degree of impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| x402 Transaction Distribution | Base 5% → Solana 95% | Maintain Solana dominance | 🔴 No significant changes |
| Cross-chain transfer | N/A | 0 x402 detected | 🔴 Extremely low |
| Base Authorization Activities | 8 small amounts | 17 transactions including large authorizations | 🟡 Preparatory Growth |
| Bridge activity | N/A | Only 60 transactions | 🔴 Extremely low adoption rate |
| Base DeFi TVL | $45.62B | +3.12% (24h) | 🟡 Moderate growth |
Outlook
The future changes in the capital flow pattern of x402 will depend on:
- Base cost optimization : Can the cost gap with Solana be narrowed by 100 times?
- Bridge adoption is increasing : The current 60 transactions are far from sufficient to drive ecosystem-wide cash flow.
- AI-driven economic expansion : Can platforms like Virtuals translate the theoretical advantages of bridges into real-world demand for cross-chain payments?
Current assessment : The bridge's impact on x402 is more structural than flow-related —it provides the infrastructure, but the substantial changes in the flow of funds are still dominated by economic incentives (cost differences).