# x402 Related Articles

HTX News Center provides the latest articles and in-depth analysis on "x402", covering market trends, project updates, tech developments, and regulatory policies in the crypto industry.

AI Agent Payments Hit 2026 High, Weekly Transfers Reach 8.7 Million

AI agent payments via the x402 protocol reached their highest level in 2026 last week, with 8.7 million weekly stablecoin transfers, more than double the previous week's figure. For most of the year, weekly transactions hovered around 2 million. While this marks a recovery, activity remains below the all-time high of 20.1 million transfers set in November 2025. The network landscape has also shifted: Base, which once dominated with over 90% of transfers, now handles 48% (4.2 million), followed by Solana at 38% (3.3 million), indicating broader chain deployment beyond a single team's testing. However, the total value transferred was only $367,950, far from the peak of over $10 million in late 2025. The average transfer value was about 4 cents, down from tens of cents previously. This shows the protocol, designed for micropayments, is scaling in frequency but not yet in individual transaction value. The milestone signifies increased API calls by agents rather than the formation of a larger blockchain economy. The true next phase will be signaled when both the number of transfers and the total dollar volume rise together, indicating agents are paying for valuable services, not just making endpoint requests.

cryptonews.ru2h ago

AI Agent Payments Hit 2026 High, Weekly Transfers Reach 8.7 Million

cryptonews.ru2h ago

AI Agents Move 3.3M USDC Through Solana x402 Payments

In a single week, AI agents initiated 3.3 million USDC in payments over the x402 protocol on the Solana blockchain. This highlights a growing use case for stablecoins in machine-to-machine (M2M) micropayments for digital resources like APIs and data. The x402 protocol utilizes the HTTP 402 "Payment Required" status code to enable automated, internet-native payment flows. Over 99.99% of this agentic transaction volume is denominated in USDC, underscoring the need for a stable unit of account rather than a volatile cryptocurrency for routine automated payments. Solana provides the low-fee, high-speed settlement layer, while USDC serves as the payment asset. This activity represents a specific, early-stage adoption signal focused on autonomous software paying for services, not broad retail consumer usage. It points to a practical intersection of AI and crypto for agentic commerce. The future significance depends on whether x402 adoption grows beyond current experiments, potentially establishing Solana as a key settlement layer for M2M payments.

bitcoinist9h ago

AI Agents Move 3.3M USDC Through Solana x402 Payments

bitcoinist9h ago

The Eve of the Bull Market: Undervalued/Innovative Narratives Worth Watching

Author: Haotian With a bull market approaching and many unsure where to invest, which niche or innovative narratives that emerged during the bear market—though perhaps ahead of their time—are worth watching now? (Some are already gaining momentum.) **1) Hooks:** Uniswap V4 Hooks are externally customizable smart contracts that allow custom logic to be inserted at key points in an AMM pool's lifecycle, such as initialization, liquidity actions, swaps, donations, and fee handling. (Examples: uPEG, SATO, Slonks) **2) x402:** This initiative revives the long-reserved but rarely used HTTP 402 "Payment Required" status code, proposing it as a foundational layer for AI agent payments. (Examples: PAYAI, dreams) **3) RWAFI (Real-World Assets Finance):** Extending beyond mere asset tokenization, this narrative focuses on composable DeFi applications built on TradFi assets as underlying liquidity or integrating tokenized assets into DeFi protocols. (Examples: Stonkbroker, INDEX) **4) Agentic Economy:** Based on a Google-proposed open protocol, this framework enables AI agents built on different systems to discover, communicate, delegate tasks, and collaborate, serving as a communication layer for an economy of autonomous agents. It opens possibilities for agent-based social platforms, games, and human-task automation. (Example: Moltbook) Additionally, there is a broad range of innovative narratives around AI + Crypto, including infrastructure, applications, and protocols for AI agents. Established areas like Prediction Markets, Perpetual DEXs, and Privacy narratives remain highly active. (Note: Many projects mentioned above are inactive; this is for informational purposes only, not investment advice.) What other interesting narratives are out there? Feel free to share in the comments.

marsbit17h ago

The Eve of the Bull Market: Undervalued/Innovative Narratives Worth Watching

marsbit17h ago

The Biggest Dark Horse in AI Payments Might Be Coinbase Giving Agents a Wallet

In the AI payments race, while most focus on traditional giants like Visa or AI platforms like OpenAI, Coinbase has quietly emerged as a key player. Data from 2026 shows over 90% of on-chain Agent transactions occur on Coinbase's Base network, with 99% settled in USDC and over 97% using the x402 protocol. Coinbase's pivotal move was launching "Agentic Wallets" in February 2026—a dedicated wallet infrastructure giving AI Agents their own financial identity. Unlike Visa or Stripe, which connect Agents to existing payment rails, Coinbase provides Agents with autonomous wallets to hold assets (like stablecoins), initiate transfers, and execute transactions under predefined rules. This solves core issues for machine-to-machine payments: high credit card fees for micropayments, the need for constant human authorization, and unclear transaction attribution. Coinbase's strength lies in its closed-loop ecosystem: the Base blockchain (low-cost, high-throughput), the x402 payment protocol, Agentic Wallets, and native assets like USDC. This integrated stack, built through years of infrastructure investment, positioned Coinbase to capture early Agent payment demand as the AI economy surged. The key insight is that AI payment adoption may depend less on whose standard wins and more on whose usable infrastructure is ready first. While debates over protocols and payment rails continue, real Agent transactions are already flowing—primarily through Coinbase's ecosystem. It may not be the ultimate winner, but for now, it's the frontrunner by being prepared.

marsbit2 days ago 00:51

The Biggest Dark Horse in AI Payments Might Be Coinbase Giving Agents a Wallet

marsbit2 days ago 00:51

Coinbase's x402 System Processed 14 Million Payments Made by AI Agents in 30 Days

Coinbase's x402 system processed 14 million payments initiated by AI agents in the past 30 days, according to data from Token Terminal. The Base network led with 7.3 million transactions, followed by Polygon with 5.6 million. The vast majority of these payments were made using the USDC stablecoin. This activity points to the emergence of "agentic commerce," where AI software autonomously makes frequent, small-scale, or cross-border payments for services like computing power, data, or API access. The x402 protocol, developed by Coinbase, leverages the HTTP 402 "Payment Required" standard to enable this automatic payment flow across Base, Solana, and Polygon, with USDC as the primary settlement asset. While the volume doesn't represent 14 million unique AI agents, the high transaction frequency offers a glimpse into a new, machine-driven payments market. For Circle, the issuer of USDC, this expands stablecoin utility beyond human-driven trade, remittances, and corporate settlements. Coinbase, which has identified agent payments as a "high-conviction bet," recently launched services allowing businesses to accept USDC payments directly from AI agents. This integrates the merchant side with Coinbase's broader agent infrastructure, including x402 and the Base network. The trend suggests AI agents could provide a significantly larger potential market for the stablecoin infrastructure originally built for moving dollars efficiently on blockchain networks.

cryptonews.ru08/19 07:55

Coinbase's x402 System Processed 14 Million Payments Made by AI Agents in 30 Days

cryptonews.ru08/19 07:55

Illustrating the Cloudflare Wallet: The New Player in Stablecoin Payments Using x402

On August 4th, Cloudflare announced the launch of "Wallets," though the initial offering is limited to claiming a user handle. Full functionality for topping up, making payments, and using a Virtual Wallet via API keys is marked "Soon." The announcement clarifies that this handle is not yet a functional wallet. It represents a key piece in Cloudflare's broader payments strategy, alongside the Stripe Projects service (currently in open beta for agent-assisted purchases) and the Monetization Gateway for merchants (on a waitlist). The Wallet is positioned as the payer-side component for managing identity, balances, and authorization rules. While the underlying x402 protocol shows activity (75.41 million transactions, $24.24M volume in 30 days, averaging ~$0.32 per transaction), this data reflects the open network's usage, not specifically Cloudflare Wallet adoption. These metrics indicate suitability for frequent micro-payments like API calls. Cloudflare's documentation uses a $0.01 per-call example to illustrate the x402 flow: a server returns HTTP 402, the agent signs the payment, a facilitator verifies it, and the server delivers the result. Currently, developers must manage private keys and use test networks/USDC for agent payments. The Wallet roadmap aims to separate the user's Account Wallet from an agent's Virtual Wallet, adding controls for spending limits, whitelists, and per-transaction caps. This design resembles a corporate card with approval rules. However, these controls are not yet available for configuration. In summary, Cloudflare Wallet's current launch is a preliminary step. Critical details like supported stablecoins, blockchains, regions, KYC, custody, and fees remain undisclosed. The announcement primarily establishes a payer identity framework, with the full payment and agent autonomy system still under development.

marsbit08/05 03:35

Illustrating the Cloudflare Wallet: The New Player in Stablecoin Payments Using x402

marsbit08/05 03:35

Casper Prepares Launch of Updated csprUSD

The Casper blockchain platform, in collaboration with investment firm Sarson Funds, is preparing to launch an upgraded version of its csprUSD stablecoin. Upon release, it will become the primary dollar-pegged stablecoin within the Casper ecosystem. A key use case will be facilitating automated payments between AI agents via the x402 protocol. This development follows the recent establishment of the x402 Foundation under the Linux Foundation, which includes members like Visa, Mastercard, Google, Coinbase, Circle, Stripe, AWS, and Cloudflare. The x402 protocol enables AI agents to autonomously pay for goods and services online using standard HTTP requests, bypassing traditional payment systems. The new csprUSD will be compatible with Casper 2.0 and support the CEP-3009 standard. It will allow users and AI agents to confirm payments off-chain, with final settlement occurring on the blockchain. The ecosystem will also integrate Casper's ProofLayer technology, which provides cryptographic verification for off-chain data. This will be used to verify the dollar reserves backing csprUSD and to monitor token issuance and redemption. Prior to the mainnet launch, the stablecoin's smart contract will undergo an independent security audit. Casper has also recently reduced its minimum transaction fee from 2.5 CSPR to 0.1 CSPR following the approval of proposal CEP-97.

cryptonews.ru07/30 14:00

Casper Prepares Launch of Updated csprUSD

cryptonews.ru07/30 14:00

Behind the Public Apology, Jesse Pollak Sets the Tone for Base's Next Phase of Development

Base founder Jesse Pollak issues a public apology and refocuses the platform's strategy after admitting the failure of its previous emphasis on on-chain social and creator coins. In a significant post, Pollak concedes his strategic misjudgment and announces a shift back to core chain infrastructure, relinquishing leadership of the Base App to Coinbase. The new direction centers on three key areas: Trading (encompassing all assets), Payments (focused on stablecoins), and Agents—the cross-cutting layer Pollak believes will accelerate the other two. He positions Base to capitalize on its early lead in the on-chain agent payment ecosystem, citing developments like the x402 protocol and projects like Virtuals Protocol that grew on Base first. The analysis raises three critical questions for Base's future in agent-driven commerce: defining its target stage (assisted vs. fully autonomous agents), establishing a defensible value capture mechanism beyond low fees, and detailing its specific ecosystem support strategy to convert early momentum into long-term dominance. Pollak's candid admission and strategic pivot set the stage for Base's concentrated push into trading, payments, and the emerging agent economy.

Foresight News07/17 12:02

Behind the Public Apology, Jesse Pollak Sets the Tone for Base's Next Phase of Development

Foresight News07/17 12:02

June Transaction Volume Doubles: x402 Ecosystem Continues to Expand, Content Monetization Narrative Faces Crucial Test

X402, a protocol for AI and data services, experienced significant growth in June. Its transaction volume doubled compared to May, primarily driven by the AI inference routing service BlockRun. The ecosystem expanded with new integrations: Apify enabled data scraping services, Exa extended its AI search to Solana, and Seal launched 'Hacks', a marketplace for automated AI agents. The protocol itself received crucial upgrades, including 'Builder Codes' for tracking and affiliate systems and 'Batch Settlement' to enable practical micropayments for high-frequency AI tasks. Major external validation came from tech giants. Amazon Web Services (AWS) launched a solution for AI traffic metering at its edge nodes. More significantly, Cloudflare opened its waitlist for a Content Monetization Gateway. This gateway allows websites to charge AI bots and other automated agents for accessing content, using x402 for stablecoin payments. This addresses a core internet monetization problem and represents x402's most promising path to mass adoption, though Cloudflare's CEO noted current blockchain scalability remains a critical hurdle. Current leading use cases are AI inference routing and paid data feeds. However, the large-scale real-world test with Cloudflare's gateway will be decisive in determining if x402 can transition from a useful tool to a fundamental infrastructure component for a new web economy where AI agents pay for the content they consume.

Foresight News07/10 09:42

June Transaction Volume Doubles: x402 Ecosystem Continues to Expand, Content Monetization Narrative Faces Crucial Test

Foresight News07/10 09:42

Base MCP, The Next Step for x402

Base has officially launched Base MCP, allowing users to connect their Base Account to AI Agents to perform actions like swaps, transfers, portfolio tracking, and transaction history queries through conversational commands. This move aligns with Base's strategic focus on AI, driven by the broader competition in the emerging Agent-to-Agent payment sector. The evolution of Agent payments has accelerated. In late 2024, the primary method involved insecure browser automation. By 2025, solutions like Coinbase's x402 (providing crypto wallets for Agents), Google's AP2, and Visa's token-based system emerged. x402 has since processed 176 million transactions totaling over $70 million, with a median value between $0.01 and $0.10. Stablecoins, particularly USDC, dominate these settlements due to their negligible transaction costs compared to traditional payment fees, which are prohibitive for micro-payments. Coinbase faces competition from Stripe, which has built a comparable infrastructure for Agent payments with its Tempo blockchain, Privy wallets, Bridge routing (acquired for $1.1B), and the recently launched MPP protocol. Both companies are now competing at the application layer. The core reason AI is central to Base's strategy is to expand the scenarios for Agent payments, ensuring more transactions occur on its network. By securing a dominant position and scale advantage in this nascent field, Coinbase aims to capture the future commercial potential of Agent-driven payments. The launch of Base MCP is thus a strategic step in this larger ambition.

marsbit05/28 08:26

Base MCP, The Next Step for x402

marsbit05/28 08:26

活动图片

Industry Newsright-arrow

Trading Strategiesright-arrow