Solana Emerges as Leading Payments Network with x402 Growth

Solana has achieved its most significant week for x402, with daily payment volume reaching an unprecedented high of approximately $380,000 on Sunday and a remarkable 750% increase compared to the previous week.

This surge positions Solana as the leading network in terms of dollar volume for transactions, highlighting how the narrative surrounding AI-agent payments is rapidly converting into quantifiable onchain activity.

The escalation of x402 payments on Solana signifies a pivotal moment for the HTTP-402-based protocol, as pay-per-request stablecoin transfers are now being facilitated at a tempo that seems less like a speculative surge and more like the initial signs of machine-driven demand.

Rather than engaging in wash trading or airdrop farming, bots and agents are starting to leverage Solana for legitimate services.

Although the total figures are still modest compared to decentralized finance (DeFi) and trading flows, they provide a clear datapoint indicating that genuine customers, not just speculative investors, are beginning to make recurring payments on Solana.

Related: Why the x402 protocol didn’t fade after the PING hype, and what’s driving the second wave

Solana: When real usage shows up onchain

This week’s movement is particularly notable because x402 was designed for the internet’s backend, not for users chasing the latest token prices.

The standard enables APIs, apps, and AI agents to respond with a 402 “Payment Required” code, execute a gasless USDC (USDC) transfer on a blockchain like Solana, and then deliver the requested content or computation.

For Solana, emerging as the most active x402 platform reinforces the notion that low transaction fees and high throughput are beneficial for machine and API micropayments, rather than just memecoins and high-frequency trading.

This theme is starting to be reflected elsewhere, from developer guides detailing x402 integrations on Solana to new collaborations with the network, such as Kalshi, which aims to boost prediction-market flows and stablecoin activity onchain, capitalizing on Solana’s speed.

Related: AI agents want to handle your crypto wallet, but is it safe?

X402 ecosystem expands as more teams integrate into projects

X402 is being embraced by an increasing number of teams within the Web3 space, ranging from protocol extensions that enhance privacy and security over x402 to agent frameworks and AI platforms utilizing it for autonomous coordination and monetization.

DeFi researcher and educator Mars DeFi noted on X, “x402 is no longer a niche curiosity. It’s appearing everywhere, unlocking revenue streams that were previously unattainable without subscriptions, API keys, or credit-based billing.”

The rapid pace and widespread adoption are why Solana’s significant week for x402 payments is noteworthy. If this momentum continues, x402 traffic could develop into a reliable source of demand for Solana blockspace and USDC liquidity, even as other layer 1s vie for their share of the agent-economy infrastructure.