A coalition of tech and finance giants including Google, Visa, and Stripe is backing a new open standard to create a native payment layer for an internet increasingly run by AI agents.
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Linux Foundation and 15+ partners back x402 AI payment standard
A new foundation backed by more than 15 technology and finance heavyweights including Google, Visa, and Stripe is set to govern an open standard for AI-driven payments, aiming to solve a problem as old as the internet itself. The Linux Foundation announced the launch of the x402 Foundation, which will steward a protocol designed to let websites and AI agents automatically pay for data and services without human intervention.
"x402 stands out because it does something fundamentally important: it embeds payments directly into the fabric of the web," Linux Foundation CEO Jim Zemlin said in a statement. "We create neutral, trusted environments where foundational technologies can evolve in the open, with broad participation and without a single company controlling the outcome."
The initiative, originally created by Coinbase and now contributed to the foundation, revives the long-dormant HTTP 402 "Payment Required" status code. This allows a server to natively request a small payment from a client before delivering content or API access, a process made viable by the low transaction fees of modern blockchains and stablecoins. Data shows the Solana network has been an early leader, driving nearly 65 percent of x402 transaction volume this year.
The project's goal is to create a universal payment rail for a future where autonomous AI agents may conduct more online transactions than humans. By standardizing how these agents pay for API calls, data access, and other digital services, the foundation aims to prevent a fragmented market of proprietary payment systems. For investors, the standard could direct billions in future transaction volume, affecting payment incumbents and blockchain platforms alike.
Open Governance Over Corporate Control
Placing the x402 standard under the stewardship of the Linux Foundation is a strategic move to foster widespread adoption. The neutral, nonprofit model has proven successful for foundational internet infrastructure like the Linux kernel and Kubernetes. By avoiding a corporate-branded launch, the project is more likely to attract broad support from developers and enterprises who might be wary of building on a proprietary system controlled by a single company like Coinbase, which remains a founding member.
The founding coalition signals significant industry appetite for a unified approach. The member list includes cloud providers Google and Cloudflare; payment giants Visa, Mastercard, and American Express; e-commerce leader Shopify; and blockchain platforms including Circle, Base, Polygon Labs, and the Solana Foundation. "The shift toward agentic commerce requires cloud infrastructure that is as open as the protocols it supports," said James Tromans, Managing Director of Web3 at Google Cloud.
On-Chain Signals and Adoption Hurdles
While the strategic interest is high, on-chain data reveals the challenge ahead. According to data from Dune Analytics, weekly transactions using the x402 protocol saw a massive spike in November 2025, peaking at over 13 million. However, activity has cooled considerably since, with recent weekly totals fluctuating between 29,000 and 1.1 million.
This pattern highlights the difficult transition from initial hype to durable, real-world adoption. The success of x402 will depend not on its high-profile launch, but on developers building scalable services that demonstrate clear return on investment. The standard must compete with established players like Stripe for developer attention and prove its efficiency for the high-frequency, low-latency transactions that AI agents will require. Observers will be watching for real-world pilots that move beyond experimentation to become critical parts of enterprise AI workflows.
This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute investment advice.
