Agent Economy
How commerce changes when machines become buyers and sellers.
Tether Posts $1.3B Net Profit in Q2, USDT Supply Continues to Grow
Stablecoin issuer reports robust reserves as on-chain liquidity demand climbs from automated payments and AI agents.
Circle Reorganizes Institutional Business into Circle Internet Group, Shifts Focus to Institutional-Grade Stablecoin Infrastructure
Stablecoin issuer Circle forms new group focused on compliant settlement, tokenized Treasuries, and KYC/KYA services for banks and payment providers. USDC processing volume continues to grow, with industry expecting the stablecoin market to approach $1 trillion.
Augustus Raises $180M to Build a Clearing Bank for the Era of AI and Stablecoins
The raise is the largest single round in the sector, with a clearing model designed to resolve friction between AI agent payments and legacy systems, positioning it against incumbents like Circle and Coinbase.
Stripe Hits $6.8B Revenue on AI Billing Deals, Deepens Agent Economy Infrastructure
Stripe posted $6.8 billion in revenue for 2025, up 33% year-over-year, with AI billing emerging as its core engine. Through acquisitions of Metronome and Bridge, along with the launch of AI Gateway, Stripe is pivoting from payment processor to the infrastructure layer for the agent economy.
Natural Raises $30M to Build AI Agent Payment Stack, Compliance and Security as Core Selling Points
U.S. fintech startup Natural has closed a $30 million Series A round to build payment infrastructure for AI agents. Its tech architecture emphasizes pre-settlement compliance and identity verification, directly addressing security and regulatory challenges in agent payments.
Augustus Raises $180 Million and Receives Preliminary U.S. Banking License Approval, Deepening Integration of Stablecoin Settlement with Traditional Banking
Stablecoin infrastructure provider Augustus completes a $180 million Series B at a $1 billion valuation and receives conditional preliminary approval from the OCC for a national bank charter, aiming to access a Federal Reserve master account for direct dollar clearing.
Natural Raises $30M Series A to Build AI Agent Payment Infrastructure
The company, co-founded by Kahlil Lalji, Eric Wang, and Walt Leung, is building a full-stack payment platform for AI agents, with six products already in production.