Cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase (COIN) has launched an updated version of its stablecoin-based payments protocol for AI agents, simplifying integration with its autonomous payments system, as stated in a blog post released Thursday.
The cleverly named x402 V2 transitions the AI agent payment tool from the question “What does it do?” to “What services can it connect with next?” a Coinbase representative shared via email. Specifically, x402 V2 enables developers to combine payments, facilitate secure wallet access, and introduce new features through a streamlined, modular design, according to Coinbase.
Earlier this year, Coinbase’s engineering team unveiled the open-source autonomous payments protocol x402, followed by a discovery layer for AI agents, likened to a “Google for agents,” called x402 Bazaar.
In a note attached to the blog post, Coinbase announced that x402 V2 broadens the protocol’s capabilities from simple, one-time payments. “It introduces wallet-based identity (eliminating the need to repay on each call), automatic API discovery, dynamic payment recipients, and compatibility with more chains and fiat currencies through CAIP [Chain Agnostic Improvement Proposals for blockchain interoperability] standards, alongside a fully modular SDK for custom networks and applications,” Coinbase highlighted.
The goal is to enhance x402’s design, making it “more efficient, extensible, and future-ready, allowing unified payment models and wallet-accessibility for both agents and humans,” the exchange remarked.
