AI Agents Are Reshaping Prediction-Market Trading and Crypto Payments

Prediction markets aggregate probability estimates for election, economic and sporting outcomes through contract prices. Nominal trading volume on major platforms exceeded $44 billion in 2025 and reached $13 billion in the peak month. With Polymarket and Kalshi together accounting for about 85%–97% of volume, AI agents such as Valory’s Olas can analyze data and execute strategies around the clock. Their efficiency and risks are influencing market pricing and retail traders’ ability to compete.

Valory launched Polystrat on Polymarket in February 2026. In about one month, it completed more than 4,200 trades, with returns on individual trades reaching as high as 376% and more than 37% of agents generating positive returns. On the payments side, Visa released its Trusted Agent Protocol on October 14, 2025. Coinbase’s x402 records about $28,000 in daily transaction volume, but Artemis estimates that roughly half comes from human activity, underscoring that machine-to-machine stablecoin payments remain at an early stage.