Stripe announced the test of the new payment system, which supports USDC to automatically power payments for AI agents through the x402 protocol, making this a step to converge AI, fintech, and blockchain. This feature was bought out by Stripe product manager Jeff Weinstein on Feb. 11 and is currently in preview and runs on Base, an Ethereum-based blockchain network.
This allows AI agents to pay for digital services automatically using USDC, a dollar-pegged stablecoin. Instead of relying on traditional monthly billing, manual invoicing, or subscriptions. Developers can charge AI software directly for services like API, data access, and computing power.
Stripe brings x402 crypto payments to AI agents
The integration brings back the long-unused HTTP 402 “Payment Required” status code in a practical way. As Stripe’s Jeff Weinstein explained on X, the process starts with a business creating a Payment Intent, after which Stripe generates a unique deposit address for that transaction.
When an AI agent requests a paid resource, the server can respond with a 402 code, prompting the agent to send USDC on Base. The payment is tracked in real time via Stripe’s API, webhooks, or dashboard, and once confirmed, within seconds, access is automatically granted, with funds settling directly into the developer’s Stripe balance.
With the launch of this payment system, Stripe has plans to expand to more chains, currencies, and payment methods. Jeff Weinstein said the system is built for AI agents that require microtransactions, 24/7 global rails, low latency, and built-in controls, features that human-focused payment systems and virtual cards cannot fully support.
Base’s fast settlement and low fees make it ideal for high-volume micropayments. With Coinbase backing x402 from early on, the integration with Stripe is likely to speed up the use of the platform by more developers.
The “AI agent economy”
Stripe’s x402 launch directly taps into what many are calling the emerging AI agent economy. Jeff Weinstein described autonomous agents as “an entirely new category of users to build for, and, increasingly, to sell to,” framing AI software as independent economic participants rather than just tools.
By integrating machine payments into Stripe’s existing Payment Intents system, where agent and human transactions appear side by side, the company positions AI agents as a new class of buyers.
The launch builds on Stripe’s January 2026 rollout of Copilot Checkout with Microsoft, which allowed users to complete purchases from retailers like Etsy and Urban Outfitters directly inside Microsoft Copilot.
While that integration focused on helping humans shop through AI assistants, x402 shifts the model by letting AI agents themselves transact independently.
Stripe has also released an open-source command-line tool, “purl,” along with sample code to help developers test machine-based payments. The company said additional protocols, currencies, and blockchain networks may be supported in the future.
