Coinbase Developer Platform (CDP) has launched Agentic Wallets, a new infrastructure designed to allow artificial intelligence (AI) agents to hold, manage, and transact crypto independently.
Announced on Wednesday, February 11, 2025, the tool shifts AI from a purely advisory role to an active economic participant that can execute trades, pay for computing resources, and earn yield without human intervention. The system operates on the Ethereum Layer 2 network, Base, and utilizes the purpose-built x402 payments protocol to facilitate seamless machine-to-machine commerce.
Introducing Agentic Wallets, our first ever wallet infrastructure built specifically for autonomous agents.
Give your agent the power of a wallet. Let your agent manage funds, hold identity, and transact onchain without human intervention. 🧵 pic.twitter.com/Ns0SmSIys4
— Coinbase Developer Platform🛡️ (@CoinbaseDev) February 11, 2026
The launch addresses a primary need in current AI development: bots can identify financial needs but lack the means to pay for them. By integrating these wallets, developers can equip agents with skills such as token authentication, funding, and token trading via a simple command-line interface.
To ensure safety, Coinbase has embedded programmable guardrails, including session spending caps and transaction limits, allowing users to define the exact boundaries of an agent’s financial autonomy.
Breaking the payment wall for autonomous machines
Traditional banking infrastructure often requires manual approvals and identity verification that AI agents cannot navigate. Agentic Wallets bypass this by using crypto-native rails, enabling agents to acquire API keys or purchase storage space 24/7. This creates a machine economy where software entities can sustain themselves. Furthermore, Coinbase has enabled gasless trading on Base for these agents, ensuring that automated strategies are not interrupted by a lack of network fees.
Bridging AI and DeFi through smart automation
The introduction of machine-managed wallets aligns with recent industry trends focused on agentic Web3. Recently, Stripe launched a new payment system, revealed on February 11 by product manager Jeff Weinstein, allowing autonomous AI agents to pay for digital services instantly with cryptocurrency. This move towards machine-to-machine commerce supports the Base Ethereum network via the x402 protocol and uses USD Coin (USDC).
“The next generation of agents won’t just advise – they’ll act,”
stated Coinbase developers Erik Reppel and Josh Nickerson, highlighting that the x402 protocol has already processed over 50 million transactions during its testing phase.
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