payments

AI Smart Routing and Infrastructure Network DGrid AI officially announces the launch of its AI inference API integrated with the x402 payment protocol. This API seamlessly merges payment logic with AI model invocation for the first time, allowing developers and AI Agents to complete authorization, inference, and payment within a single API request lifecycle without managing cumbersome API Keys or requiring centralized account pre-funding.It is reported that this API currently supports BNB Chain (BSC) as the underlying settlement network. With the micropayment features of the x402 protocol, the system can achieve extremely low-friction on-chain real-time settlement while ensuring that invocation costs remain absolutely controllable. Additionally, this API supports streaming responses and real-time usage feedback while being compatible with mainstream AI invocation methods, making it suitable for various application scenarios, including model selection for AI Agents, inference billing, intelligent agents, and multi-task execution.DGrid states that this initiative aims to completely break the prepaid barriers of traditional large model invocation and provide a programmable underlying payment infrastructure for building a fully automated AI Agent economy (machine-to-machine transactions).

Chief Economist Fu Peng of New Fire Group delivered a speech at the 2026 Hong Kong Institutional Digital Wealth Management Summit, stating that the integration of traditional financial institutions and the cryptocurrency market will herald the arrival of a new era in the market. The participants who will truly succeed in the future are those who can quickly complete their transformation at critical turning points.Fu Peng cited the Cold War, oil crisis, and the simultaneous rise of computer and semiconductor technology in the 1970s and 1980s as examples, pointing out that technological advancements and global order turmoil often go hand in hand, with risks and opportunities always accompanying each other. He believes that AI and data computing power are now widely recognized as the core productive forces of the next era, indicating that the first half of the cryptocurrency industry has essentially ended, and the industry is at a critical stage of reconstruction and rebirth.Looking ahead, Fu Peng predicts that stablecoins will take on payment functions, Bitcoin will evolve into a core asset with both value storage and financial transaction attributes, and a brand new chapter of the era is about to begin.

According to CoinDesk, Kraken stated that it has submitted 56 million cryptocurrency transaction tax forms to the IRS for the 2025 tax year, of which approximately 18.5 million correspond to amounts below $1, 74% are below $50, and only 8.5% exceed $600.Kraken pointed out that the lack of a minimum amount tax exemption rule for cryptocurrency payments, as well as the taxation of staking rewards as ordinary income at the time of receipt, is placing a heavy reporting burden on investors. Kraken is calling on the U.S. Congress to promote a broader minimum amount tax exemption policy linked to inflation and to allow taxpayers to choose to be taxed on staking rewards at the time of receipt or sale.

According to market news, Ramp, supported by top Silicon Valley investor Peter Thiel, will allow payments and consumption through Plasma using stablecoin channels.

The UK Treasury announced a regulatory scheme during London Fintech Week, planning to incorporate stablecoins and tokenized deposits into a unified regulatory framework with traditional payment services.The scheme aims to regulate stablecoins used for payments under the upcoming issuance regime, while expanding the Financial Conduct Authority's (FCA) regulatory scope over open banking, and exploring regulatory adjustments for payment activities executed by AI agents. The proposal also suggests reducing administrative requirements for businesses providing stablecoin payment services through new legislation.The UK Treasury also announced the appointment of EY partner and former interim CEO of the FCA, Chris Woolard CBE, as the wholesale digital market champion, responsible for advancing the development of a tokenized wholesale financial system, and committed to providing £1 million (approximately $1.35 million) in funding support to the Centre for Financial Innovation and Technology starting in April. Minister for Cities Lucy Rigby stated that the scheme aims to build a secure, competitive payment ecosystem that can seize opportunities from technological changes. The UK government recognizes the transformative potential of digital assets and blockchain technology, believing they can reshape the way consumers and businesses interact with financial services.

ChainCatcher reported live that HashKey Group Chairman Xiao Feng shared a keynote speech titled "Innovation of Economic Models for Intelligent Agents—The Fusion Revolution of AI Tokens, Blockchain Tokens, and Fully Homomorphic Encryption" at this year's 2026 Hong Kong Web3 Carnival. He pointed out that the two major business characteristics of blockchain technology are trustlessness and permissionlessness, but public transparency leads to data exposure, making it difficult for compliant institutions like banks to directly go on-chain. With fully homomorphic encryption chips expected to be launched in the second half of this year, achieving performance of about 1000 transactions per second, privacy computing technology is about to reach commercial thresholds.He proposed that the fusion of AI Tokens, blockchain Tokens, zero-knowledge proofs, and fully homomorphic encryption technology is the ultimate form of the intelligent agent economy. He used hospitals as an example: medical data, after being fully homomorphically encrypted, becomes Tokens, and anyone can call the data for computation through the blockchain in a permissionless manner, but cannot access personal privacy information, thus turning hospitals into "Token factories." Individuals can also put their encrypted health check data on-chain, issuing demands to global insurance companies, which can calculate and provide personalized optimal insurance plans in an encrypted state using their actuarial models, eliminating the need for insurance brokers and intermediaries.He specifically corrected a common misunderstanding: AI Tokens are not the currency unit of the intelligent agent economy, but rather the means of production, encompassing everything from electricity, chip computing power, to large models, algorithms, and applications, depicting the production process of intelligent agents. The currency of the intelligent agent economy must be programmable, divisible, and capable of real-time settlement, because when AI Agents call APIs, they may only need a few cents each time, and the costs of existing banking payment systems cannot support such small payments. Digital currency is the "blood" of the intelligent agent economy, and a brand new financial service system designed for machines rather than humans will definitely emerge in the future.

ChainCatcher reported live that KGA Managing Partner Kevin M. Goldstein, Binance Co-CEO Richard Teng, Stable CEO Brian Mehler, JPMorgan Asia Pacific (Payments) Fintech Industry Head Akhil Devmurari, and Bitstamp by Robinhood President Leonard Hoh jointly attended the 2026 Hong Kong Web3 Carnival roundtable discussion, focusing on "The Present and Future of Cross-Border Payments and Asset Digitization."Richard Teng pointed out that the existing financial infrastructure is extremely outdated, with bank transfers taking two to three days and high fees, while cross-border remittance rates can be as high as 11%. In contrast, stablecoin transfers are instant and cost very little. He revealed that with the passage of the U.S. Genius Act, stablecoin transaction volume has increased by over 70% year-on-year, surpassing Visa's transaction volume, and its market capitalization has grown by over 50% year-on-year. He also mentioned that Binance started trading precious metals in January this year, and within three months, its trading volume has exceeded that of many traditional commodity exchanges. Additionally, it has launched products such as petrochemical products, stock tokens, and Pre-IPO offerings, aiming to create a multi-jurisdictional, multi-asset trading platform serving over 310 million users. Regarding AI, he believes that stablecoins will become the native currency of AI, with the payment ecosystem for intelligent agents built around blockchain and AI.Akhil Devmurari pointed out from JPMorgan's perspective that the Asia-Pacific region has a population of 4.8 billion and over 90% fintech adoption rate, with cross-border payments being the biggest pain point. Digital currencies present a significant opportunity as an alternative payment track. He stated that JPMorgan's payment platform processes $12 trillion daily, focusing on tokenized deposits and tokenized assets, and applying blockchain technology to fund flows to reduce friction. He emphasized that the current market capitalization of digital currencies accounts for only about 1% of total payment volume, with 99% still in fiat currency, indicating huge growth potential, but compliance is a key link in ecological development. He defined the relationship between traditional finance and crypto as "co-opetition," stating that banks need to collaborate with the industry to drive ecological growth.Leonard Hoh stated that Bitstamp, as an exchange and infrastructure provider, has observed that trading and payment counterparties are adopting a "stablecoin-first" strategy, whether for prepayments, settlements, or credit collateral, with both traditional finance and crypto-native institutions feeling secure about this technology. He pointed out that the industry currently faces growing pains from excessive fragmentation—there is an oversupply of stablecoin issuers, Layer 1 solutions, and regulatory frameworks relative to market size, and exchanges need to address interoperability challenges across chains and borders. He believes that the key to unlocking the next stage lies in the development of non-U.S. dollar stablecoins and on-chain foreign exchange markets.Brian Mehler pointed out from the perspective of Layer 1 public chains that the technology itself is already functioning normally, with traditional cross-border payments charging about 6.5% fees for a $200 transaction, while on-chain it only requires 1% or even less. The real issue lies in the fragmentation of compliance, as regulatory frameworks in different countries operate independently. Therefore, compliance elements such as whitelist, blacklist, and travel rules must be embedded in the infrastructure layer of the chain to achieve true global interoperability. He also mentioned that PayPal has introduced PYUSD to the Stable chain, and traditional financial institutions are actively seeking to establish a presence on-chain, with Layer 1 not aiming to replace banks but to become a settlement layer.

According to DL News, a South Korean forgery gang is selling fake official documents to users via Telegram, prioritizing payments in cryptocurrency or digital gift cards. Among them, a counterfeit Yonsei University diploma is priced at about $200, a certificate of enrollment is quoted at about $100, and a fake diploma from overseas universities is priced at about $341.The report points out that the gang also offers forged materials such as driver's licenses, proof of relationship, certificates of no criminal record, and bank loan documents. South Korean police stated that the number of arrests for forgery cases nearly doubled from 2021 to 2023.

At the "Crypto 2026: From Cryptocurrency to Smart Economy" themed forum held in Hong Kong, guests including Sign partner Sarah, HashKey Chain Senior Business Development YuYi, Monad Greater China Ecosystem Head Harvey Chen, OmenX Chief Marketing Officer Gisele, and SVP Chain Market Head Celest engaged in a roundtable discussion on "The Revaluation of Crypto and the New Cycle."Regarding why they remain firmly invested in Crypto amid the AI boom, Sarah pointed out that the hotter AI gets, the more use cases there are for Crypto assets, and future transactions between AI Agents will rely on digital assets. YuYi believes that the bear market is precisely when the wheat is separated from the chaff, with compliant RWA (such as Hong Kong's first physical silver token) being implemented, speculative assets being eliminated, and the era of on-chain infrastructure arriving. Harvey Chen stated that high-performance public chains are the foundation for supporting large-scale applications, and Monad is committed to this. Gisele noted that Crypto addresses fairness and value transfer, complementing AI's focus on efficiency. Celest emphasized that AI lacks a native value system and increasingly requires Crypto to provide value authentication and decentralized trust.On the changing understanding of Crypto's value, the guests unanimously agreed that the industry is shifting from "issuing tokens for the sake of issuing tokens" to pursuing sustainable business models, with greater focus on capital efficiency, low costs, and 24-hour settlement as practical values. The value of public chains should be assessed based on real business scenarios and user transaction volumes, rather than narratives and financing.Regarding future growth engines and entrepreneurial advice, the guests generally expressed optimism about compliant RWA, AI payments, and sovereign blockchain directions, advising entrepreneurs to focus on real application scenarios, avoid empty concepts, and maintain a long-term construction mindset.

According to official news, on April 18 at 20:00, AINFT under Bai B.AI will jointly hold a special cooperation seminar on "Payment Systems under the AI Economy" with the PKUBlockchain Association of Peking University. This seminar is based on the emerging context of Web 4.0 and aims to explore in depth how payment, as a key infrastructure, drives the paradigm shift of AI from "content generation" to "transaction decision-making." Both parties will collaboratively delve into the innovative practices in the AI economic ecosystem and financial transaction system through a deep dissection of the intersectional narrative of AI and PayFi, reshaping the boundaries of future intelligent finance.

According to PaymentsJournal, stablecoin payment infrastructure provider PhotonPay announced a comprehensive upgrade to its payment capabilities, officially moving towards the new paradigm of Agentic Payments. At the core of this transformation is the shift in finance from "directive" to "intent-centric," enabling AI agents to autonomously plan and execute complex financial pathways.It is reported that PhotonPay has divided its system into three main modules: global network layer, core execution layer, and intelligent decision-making layer. AI agents can automatically complete the entire process of procurement triggers, payment path optimization, dynamic exchange rate optimization, and compliance review based on preset goals, achieving machine-to-machine (M2M) cross-border capital flow, covering over 200 countries and regions, and supporting real-time processing of financial decisions.In terms of market prospects, McKinsey predicts that by 2030, the global Agentic Commerce driven by AI agents will reach a scale of $3 trillion to $5 trillion, which also provides important market endorsement for PhotonPay's strategic layout.

According to market news, Circle has launched a new solution for high-frequency USDC payments across blockchains. Developers can use the Cross-Chain Transfer Protocol (CCTP) to have local fulfillers make advance payments on the recipient's designated chain, with the platform later completing cross-chain settlement.This model can reduce the operational burden caused by individual cross-chain transfers and is suitable for platforms that handle a large number of payments daily. Compared to the traditional CCTP process of destroying and minting USDC one by one, the new solution supports batch settlement, reduces the number of destructions on the source chain, and eliminates the need for signature infrastructure on the target chain. Circle also demonstrated the process based on the Arc Testnet and Ethereum Sepolia.

Gobi Partners announced an investment in Transak. Founded in 2019, Transak provides fiat and digital asset exchange capabilities through a single API for financial institutions, unifying KYC, AML, risk monitoring, and local payment integration.This investment aims to support Transak in expanding into the Asian market. Transak has established its Asia-Pacific headquarters in Hong Kong and plans to deepen integration with payment networks and banking partners in the ASEAN region.

According to Cointelegraph, Visa has launched the "Intelligent Commerce Connect" service, which supports AI agents to complete purchase payments on behalf of consumers in commercial scenarios worldwide.

Morph's latest report on the status of stablecoins indicates that by 2030, stablecoins are expected to account for about 10% of global cross-border payments. The current annual transaction volume of stablecoins has reached $33 trillion, surpassing the combined $25.5 trillion of Visa and Mastercard.The application of stablecoins in the real economy is continuously expanding, with approximately 60% of the capital flow driven by B2B payments, and significant growth in corporate adoption in scenarios such as cash management and procurement. Morph predicts that by 2026, the annual settlement volume of stablecoins may exceed $50 trillion, and by 2027, AI agents are expected to become the main initiators of transactions, with the market size potentially reaching $1.9 trillion by 2030.

According to Solid Intel, the central banks of France and South Korea are collaborating on a framework for tokenized cross-border payments and digital assets.