Key Takeaways:
- Google launched an open-source AI payment protocol with stablecoin support, developed with Coinbase and backed by over 60 major companies.
- The system builds on Google’s Agent2Agent Protocol, linking AI agents with both traditional payments and DeFi infrastructure.
- Stablecoins are emerging as the key financial tool for autonomous AI, with growing recognition from industry leaders and the Ethereum Foundation.
Google has unveiled an open-source protocol designed to let AI applications send and receive payments, including transactions using stablecoins.
The initiative reflects the growing convergence of artificial intelligence and digital finance, aiming to create a seamless system where autonomous AI agents can exchange value.
x402 + @Google just unlocked a new level for AI agents.
— Brian Armstrong (@brian_armstrong) September 16, 2025
Agents can actually pay each other now, with x402 powering the stablecoin rail inside Google’s new Agentic Payments Protocol (AP2). Really cool. pic.twitter.com/R3gj16g3hY
Backed by over 60 companies such as Salesforce and American Express, the project was developed with stablecoin functionality provided in partnership with Coinbase and input from the Ethereum Foundation.
James Tromans, head of Web3 at Google Cloud, said the protocol supports both traditional rails and new payment systems like stablecoins.
Coinbase engineer Erik Reppel noted the collaboration ensures interoperability, highlighting efforts to enable “AI agents to transmit value to each other.”
Built on Google’s Agent2Agent Protocol introduced in April, the system integrates with partners like PayPal, SAP, Deloitte, McKinsey, and PwC.
This development ties into a larger trend of linking AI with decentralized finance (DeFi), with stablecoins playing a central role.
Industry voices, including Galaxy Digital’s Mike Novogratz and the Ethereum Foundation, have emphasized stablecoins’ importance, predicting AI agents could soon become their largest users.
About The Author
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