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4w ago

Linux Foundation Takes Over x402 as Industry Forms New Open Payments Body

The move puts a vendor-neutral, open standard behind AI-to-AI micropayments built into the web’s basic HTTP flow.

Google, microsoft, backs x402 foundation to standardize ai driven crypto payments
X402 joins linux foundation with backing from google, stripe, aws
Linux foundation and coinbase launch x402 foundation for ai agents

Overview

  • Coinbase transferred its x402 protocol to the Linux Foundation on Thursday, and a new x402 Foundation will now steward the standard with Coinbase, Cloudflare and Stripe as founding leaders.
  • The specification is licensed under Apache 2.0 with no protocol fees or vendor lock-in, and Google, Microsoft, Amazon Web Services, Visa, Mastercard, Shopify, Circle and the Solana Foundation have signaled plans to participate.
  • x402 uses the long-reserved HTTP 402 “Payment Required” response to let a server set terms, take a stablecoin payment such as USDC, then grant access when the client retries the request with proof of payment.
  • Cloudflare has added x402 support to Workers and its AI Agents SDK, and the Solana Foundation says Solana handled about 65% of this year’s x402 transactions.
  • Foundation leaders say early work will focus on interoperability and developer adoption, while Dune Analytics data reported by crypto.news shows usage spiked in November 2025 then cooled in early 2026, suggesting uptake is still uneven.