Coinbase Business users can now accept payments from AI agents. The feature, rolling out this week, uses the x402 protocol to let automated systems send money directly to merchants.
What the x402 protocol does
The x402 protocol is designed for machine-to-machine payments. It allows AI agents — software that performs tasks autonomously — to initiate transactions without human intervention. For Coinbase Business, that means a merchant's account can receive funds from an AI agent that, say, buys data, pays for API calls, or settles a microtransaction.
Coinbase didn't detail which AI agents or platforms are supported first. The company said the rollout is gradual, starting this week for all Coinbase Business accounts.
Businesses that sell digital goods or services consumed by AI agents have a new way to get paid. Instead of requiring a human to approve each payment, the agent itself can send crypto via the x402 protocol. That could speed up automated workflows — think AI researchers paying for compute time or bots buying API credits.
Coinbase Business already handles traditional crypto payments from humans. This extension into AI-originated payments is a shift. The company is betting that as AI agents proliferate, they'll need their own payment rails.
The feature is live now. Coinbase Business users can enable it in their dashboard. No additional setup is required beyond standard account configuration. The company hasn't said whether it plans to support other protocols or expand to consumer accounts.
