Bank of AI and PKUBlockchain from Peking University are leading the way in exploring Web4.0’s “agent economy,” introducing x402, ERC-8004, and MCP as key components while highlighting Tron and $USDT as the preferred settlement rail for AI agents.
Bank of AI and PKUBlockchain have jointly published the first comprehensive research report on Web4.0’s “agent economy” titled “Web4.0: When AI Agents Become Economic Entities — Infrastructure, Market Landscape, and Investment Outlook.” The report emphasizes the need for crypto rails to evolve alongside AI systems as they transition from mere tools to autonomous entities capable of holding assets, generating income, and engaging in transactions.
AI agents go on-chain with Web4.0 report
The report envisions AI agents as on-chain economic actors requiring capabilities such as payment processing, identity verification, interaction with off-chain tools, and establishing credible track records similar to human-controlled wallets or companies. To address current gaps, the report identifies three essential infrastructure layers that are either lacking or underdeveloped: the x402 payment protocol for stablecoin transfers, ERC-8004 as an on-chain “ID card” for agents, and the MCP standard for invoking tools.
Bank of AI showcases its integrated stack as a benchmark implementation, combining “five core components into a unified Agent financial operating system” that incorporates these protocols from concept to real-world application. Concurrently, external research on agent-driven markets, such as the “Agentic RWA Stack” proposed by FinChain, predicts AI agents managing trillions of dollars in assets and commercial transactions by 2030, emphasizing the current focus on payment and identity infrastructure.
The report heavily emphasizes Tron as the primary settlement platform for the agent-driven Web4.0. It highlights Tron’s processing of over $22 billion in daily stablecoin transactions and hosting approximately $86 billion of $USDT, positioning it as a suitable platform for high-frequency micro-settlements by AI agents.
Independent analyses support this view, revealing that TRON consistently handles more than $21 billion in daily stablecoin transfers, with over $80 billion of $USDT in circulation and 2 to 2.2 million stablecoin transactions daily. Previous reports have also documented Tron surpassing Ethereum in $USDT supply, with on-chain data showing its $USDT holdings surpassing $73.8 billion in 2025 and surpassing $80 billion, establishing itself as Tether’s primary settlement layer for standard dollar transactions.
This trend is also reflected in regulatory developments, with $USDT on Tron recognized as an approved fiat-referenced token within Abu Dhabi’s ADGM framework, even as U.S. legislators increase oversight on Tether’s global operations. A recent report from crypto.news tied Tron’s role as a stablecoin platform to a broader push for an “agentic economy,” including TRON DAO’s $1 billion AI fund aimed at projects combining AI agents with on-chain payments—an initiative aligned with Bank of AI’s report objectives.
