Cred Protocol Launches Trust Layer for Onchain Credit on SKALE

**Market Risk Assessment for 2026** Cory Johnson joins the Decrypted podcast to analyze current market conditions and emerging risks heading into 2026. **Key Discussion Topics:** - Impact of ongoing global conflicts on financial markets - AI-related concerns affecting technology stock performance - Broader market outlook and risk assessment for 2026 **Episode Details:** - **Hosts:** Jack O'Holleran, Stan Kladko, Cory Johnson - **Moderator:** iFalcore - **Date:** Wednesday, March 4, 2026 - **Time:** 9am PT / 5pm UTC The discussion examines how geopolitical tensions and technological uncertainties are shaping investor sentiment and market dynamics as we move deeper into 2026.

**ERC-8004, a new standard for trustless AI agents, is now operational on SKALE.** Developed by the Ethereum Foundation's dAI team, the standard enables autonomous agents to establish identity, build reputation, and verify credentials without intermediaries. **Key features of SKALE's implementation:** - **Encrypted execution** - Agents can operate with privacy protection - **Zero gas fees** - Removes cost barriers for agent-to-agent interactions - **High-performance layer** - Supports real-time execution at scale The standard addresses a critical need as AI agents become more autonomous and require infrastructure for discovery, information sharing, and reputation building. SKALE's execution layer provides the technical foundation necessary for ERC-8004 to function effectively. [Learn more about ERC-8004 on SKALE](https://blog.skale.space/blog/erc-8004-on-skale-trustless-agents-with-privacy-zero-gas-real-time-execution)

SKALE Network has implemented Encrypted Transactions to secure agent registration and feedback processes. This privacy feature prevents agent metadata and interactions from appearing in the mempool, protecting users from surveillance during registration. **Key Benefits:** - Agent data remains hidden from public view - Registration process protected from monitoring - Enhanced privacy for agent interactions The implementation builds on SKALE's broader privacy infrastructure, which includes the BITE Protocol for encrypted x402 payments, ensuring agents can transact without exposing user identity or spending patterns.

**Dexter AI has launched on the SKALE Network**, enabling high-frequency x402 agent payments without gas fees. **Key features:** - Zero gas fee transactions for AI agent payments - Built on SKALE's Ethereum-native infrastructure - Designed to eliminate cost and latency barriers for agent payment scaling The launch addresses a critical challenge in AI agent economies: traditional blockchain transaction costs make micro-payments impractical. By leveraging SKALE's architecture, Dexter AI can process frequent, small-value transactions that would be economically unfeasible on standard networks. Read the full announcement: [Dexter AI Launch Details](https://blog.skale.space/blog/dexter-ai-launches-on-skale-powering-high-frequency-x402-agent-payments-with-zero-gas)