The XRP Ledger has recorded more than 8 million x402 transactions in the past 30 days, demonstrating significant growth in blockchain-based AI commerce. According to BSCN data, this transaction activity places the XRP Ledger among the leading networks being used for digital commerce between autonomous machines. The reported 8+ million transactions were conducted using x402, a payment protocol that enables transactions between autonomous artificial intelligence agents and digital service providers. The protocol facilitates micropayments with digital merchants and API providers, extending blockchain-based payments beyond conventional user-to-user transactions.
According to Chainalysis research, AI-linked cryptocurrencies became South Korea's leading crypto category by June 2026, overtaking payment-focused assets such as XRP. The report examined crypto activity from July 2025 through June 2026, measuring thematic categories by their share of Korean won-denominated trading volume. The leading AI-linked tokens by reported trading volume were Worldcoin (WLD) at $7.41 billion, SAHARA at $3.2 billion, VIRTUAL at $2.7 billion, BIO at $2 billion, and NEAR at $1.7 billion. As reported by Chainalysis, Korean retail traders moved through the AI category faster and more intensely than traders in other markets covered, with the won's share at 19.5 times that of the yen.
According to Chainalysis, South Korea recorded approximately $449 billion in crypto activity, up 12.3% during the measurement period, while the country's exchange ecosystem grew 16.3%. AI cryptocurrencies accounted for 0.91% of yen-denominated trading, compared with 1.02% for euros, 0.20% for the Brazilian real, and 0.03% for British pounds. The trend is attributed to South Korea's involvement in the AI investment cycle, particularly due to SK Hynix, a key memory-chip manufacturer. The XRP Ledger's 8+ million transaction milestone further underscores this growth trajectory in AI-related blockchain activity.
Ripple and South Korean brokerage Meritz Securities have signed a strategic partnership to assess Ripple Custody and Ripple's tokenization infrastructure for the country's capital markets. The review comes as digital assets move toward formal regulatory recognition in South Korea, with the companies planning to begin cooperation within the limits of existing securities-business rules and regulations, then consider expanding it in stages as South Korea's digital-asset framework develops. Meritz Securities is examining possible business lines that could become relevant as digital assets enter the regulated financial system, though the company has not tied those potential activities to Ripple nor said that any of them will proceed.
The partnership comes as digital assets move toward formal regulatory recognition in South Korea, with tokenized securities representing financial assets on a blockchain but issuance and investor rights depending on the product and its legal structure. The relationship between tokenization and ownership and liquidity is central to assessing any future offerings. Meritz's examination of digital-asset services for its capital-markets business as rules change positions the company to potentially leverage Ripple's infrastructure once regulatory clarity emerges. The XRP Ledger's growing role in AI commerce between autonomous agents further validates the need for such infrastructure development.
