Coinbase's Base Network Embraces AI Agent Integration Alongside Ethereum and Tron
Base, the Ethereum layer-2 network developed by Coinbase, announced plans to enhance its blockchain infrastructure to enable AI agents to interact with the platform in the same manner as human developers and traders.
Base, the Ethereum layer-2 solution from Coinbase, announced that it is implementing upgrades to critical infrastructure in anticipation of an emerging AI agent-driven economy, according to its newly published 2026 roadmap. This move positions Base among the growing number of networks competing to accommodate the expanding agentic AI landscape.
According to Base's 2026 mission, vision, and strategy update released on Tuesday, AI agents are recognizing cryptocurrency markets as their natural economic environment, where they are "building, owning, and trading alongside us."
The network stated that its objective is to establish a robust foundation for an economy powered by AI agents through concentrated efforts on developing global markets, expanding payments and stablecoin capabilities, and recruiting additional developers to the platform.
Base is entering a competitive field of blockchain networks and corporations developing innovative technology and infrastructure to enable agentic AI payment systems, with participants including Ethereum, Tron, Visa and Stripe.
The platform emphasized real-world asset (RWA) tokenization, stablecoins, and prediction markets as critical expansion sectors for 2026. Data from RWA.xyz shows that onchain RWA value has experienced a remarkable 240% increase throughout the past 12 months, with stablecoin market capitalization growing by 32% during the same period.
Base targets three chain upgrade areas
Base revealed its intentions to transform its application and blockchain into a "purpose-built market infrastructure," which will encompass newly developed smart accounts, tokens, and scaling solutions.
The platform stated its ambition to integrate every significant asset class and market onto the chain, featuring equities, commodities through native issuance, tokenization, prediction markets, perpetuals, and spot trading capabilities.
These infrastructure improvements will be designed specifically with AI agents in mind, the network explained, incorporating "agent-native smart accounts," command line interface (CLI) and model context protocol (MCP) access, along with online payment protocols like Coinbase's x402 to "help agents do anything with money."
Ethereum, Visa and Tron are going all in on AI
In September, the Ethereum Foundation introduced the "dAI Team," an initiative designed to position the network as the "preferred settlement and coordination layer" for AI agents and the machine economy. Meanwhile, Solana has made prior assertions about being the leading blockchain for agentic payment volume.
Data from x402scan indicates that Coinbase currently leads as the top facilitator of x402 payments, processing 15,777 transactions within the past 24 hours.
This month saw Visa and Stripe-backed Tempo introduce agentic AI tools, which empower agents with the capability to execute online payments autonomously without human intervention.
Concurrently, the Tron DAO expanded its AI fund to $1 billion last week, with a focus on investments and acquisitions targeting early-stage startups that are developing essential infrastructure for the agentic economy.