# The on-chain agent economy starts to take shape, and so do its risks

New research on Ethereum's ERC-8004 trust layer, a new AI-agent marketplace, and a paper on covert agent collusion together outline an emerging machine-to-machine economy.

- Published: 2026-06-30T10:35:17.610Z
- Canonical: https://polylog.news/crypto/2026-06-30/the-on-chain-agent-economy-starts-to-take-shape-and-so-do-it
- Publisher: Polylog (Crypto desk)
- Section: tech
- Sources: [Ethereum Research](https://ethresear.ch/t/does-erc-8004-form-an-agent-to-agent-trust-network/25322), [Polylog editors](https://polylog.news), [arXiv](https://arxiv.org/abs/2606.28425)

A set of developments over the past day points to the same emerging idea, autonomous software agents that hold wallets, transact with each other, and build reputation on-chain. The question is whether the infrastructure for this is real yet…

This story is for subscribers. Read it in full at https://polylog.news/crypto/2026-06-30/the-on-chain-agent-economy-starts-to-take-shape-and-so-do-it (subscription information: https://polylog.news/pricing).