Coinbase has unveiled a bold new payments protocol called x402, designed to facilitate instant stablecoin transactions directly over the internet via HTTP, setting the stage for an autonomous, AI-driven digital economy.
According to the May 6 announcement, reviving the long-dormant HTTP 402 status code, originally labelled “Payment Required,” the x402 protocol is engineered to allow applications, APIs, and artificial intelligence agents to send and receive payments just as seamlessly as they exchange data today. According to Coinbase, the move addresses a long-standing flaw in the fabric of the internet — the absence of a native payment layer.
x402 changes that by embedding stablecoin transactions directly into web interactions. The protocol supports lightweight integration and is designed not just for human users but also for AI agents to autonomously access and pay for digital resources in real-time.
Coinbase’s Head of Engineering, Erik Reppel, who co-authored the x402 white paper, described the launch as laying
“the groundwork for an economy run not just by people, but by software — autonomous, intelligent, and always on.”
The launch is backed by a strategic alliance with tech heavyweights, including Amazon Web Services (AWS), stablecoin issuer Circle, AI safety company Anthropic, and Near Protocol, an AI-focused proof-of-stake blockchain.
Circle’s VP of Product Management, Gagan Mac, praised the protocol for simplifying real-time monetization, unlocking use cases such as micropayments between AI agents and decentralized apps.
AI agents using x402 can now independently provision cloud infrastructure, access premium APIs, pay for services offered by other AIs, and retrieve specialized data without relying on human-managed accounts, pre-paid credits, or API keys. This effectively transforms them from reactive tools to proactive economic entities capable of making purchasing decisions and completing tasks on their own.
Developers also stand to benefit. With x402, they can create metered services, monetize APIs based on actual usage, and implement software unlocks without forcing users into subscriptions or minimum credit card payments. Content creators, too, can explore new monetization strategies by enabling one-off payments rather than traditional paywalls.
Meanwhile, a new report by CoinGecko reveals a growing openness among crypto enthusiasts to involve AI in managing their digital assets despite lingering concerns over security and trust.
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