Key facts
- Coinbase Business now allows businesses to accept USDC payments from AI agents using the x402 protocol.
- The x402 protocol enables stablecoin payments over HTTP for AI agents, applications, and APIs.
- New AI trading tools allow users to monitor orders and execute trades based on predefined conditions.
- A new x402 SDK is available for developers to integrate payment acceptance into their services.
- Coinbase noted that AI agent traffic has surpassed human traffic on its Base documentation pages.
Coinbase is expanding its push into AI-powered finance, enabling businesses to accept USDC payments from autonomous AI agents as part of a broader expansion of its payment, trading and developer tools. Coinbase Business users will be able to accept USDC payments from AI agents through the x402 payment standard, which Coinbase first introduced in May 2025 to enable stablecoin payments over HTTP for AI agents, applications and APIs. The exchange also announced AI trading tools that let users monitor orders, access live market data, and execute actions based on predefined conditions, as well as a software development kit for developers building agent-powered applications. Coinbase stated that the products are designed to support the “agentic economy,” where AI agents can make payments, manage finances and complete other tasks on behalf of users. The company noted that adoption of AI agents is accelerating, with agent-generated traffic surpassing human traffic on its Base documentation pages for the first time last month. However, it added that the internet’s financial infrastructure was built with “one assumption: a human clicking the button,” which has left businesses, developers and users without tools designed for AI agents. Sid Coelho-Prabhu, Head of Coinbase Business, explained the initiative by drawing a parallel to traditional commerce, stating that Coinbase is delivering a similar experience for the emerging agentic economy. He noted that agents can create wallets and shop, while businesses can make their inventory available online through an agent-friendly checkout flow.