Web3 AI Agents Raise $1.39B in 2025 as On-Chain Usage Doubles – DappRadar

AI agent projects raised $1.39 billion in funding during the first half of 2025, according to DappRadar's June industry report. The sector now represents 19% of all on-chain activity, compared to 9% in January.

DappRadar reports that daily unique wallets interacting with AI-powered decentralized applications reached 4.5 million in June, up from 2.4 million at the start of the year. More than 17,000 autonomous agents have been deployed across Ethereum, BNB Chain, Polygon and Solana networks.

Funding Surge Drives Infrastructure Development

Agent-powered transactions increased by 86% since January. AI applications now trail only blockchain gaming, which holds 20% of decentralized application engagement.

The funding came through seed to Series B investment rounds. Web3 venture firms backed projects that integrate large language models directly into smart contracts, allowing agents to process user commands and interact with multiple protocols without human intervention.

Related: $1.1B Raised in May: Bitcoin Treasuries, AI Agents, Stablecoin Rails

Investment capital enabled development teams to build more sophisticated agent capabilities. Projects now deploy agents that can analyze market conditions, execute complex trading strategies, and manage cross-chain operations autonomously. The funding also supported integration with existing DeFi protocols, expanding the range of available agent services.

Current AI agent applications include DeFi portfolio managers that execute trades automatically, NFT minting assistants that reduce gas fees, and social bots that organize on-chain messaging. These agents interpret user instructions and carry out complex blockchain operations independently.

Read on: Tether CEO Says Global AI Agents Will Use Bitcoin and USDT by 2040 

Market Impact, User Adoption and Emerging Risks

“AI agents are becoming a new on-chain interface layer, whether through DeFi copilots, social agents or autonomous gaming assistants,” said Sara Gherghelas, analyst at DappRadar. “This reflects a structural shift in how users engage with decentralized applications.”

The growth created new competition dynamics within Web3. Traditional DeFi platforms now integrate AI capabilities to retain users, while gaming projects experiment with intelligent NPCs that operate on-chain. Social platforms deploy agents to moderate content and facilitate community interactions.

However, security concerns have emerged alongside rapid adoption. Researchers from Princeton University and ETH Zurich published findings warning that AI agents face “context manipulation” attacks. In these scenarios, bad actors insert harmful instructions into an agent's command history, potentially causing unauthorized asset transfers or protocol exploits.

Also read: Gartner Predicts 40% AI Agent Projects Will Fail Due to Poor Returns

DappRadar has monitored the decentralized application ecosystem since 2018, tracking user activity, transaction volumes and investment flows. The company's 2025 report marks the first time AI agents have matched established sectors in both usage and funding levels.

The data shows AI agents have rapidly gained ground against traditional Web3 categories that previously dominated user engagement and investor interest.