Coinbase’s AI Agents Get Payment Upgrade and a Snazzy New Name

Coinbase has rolled out the latest version of its stablecoin‑based payments protocol for AI agents, and it’s not just a minor tweak—it’s a full‑blown upgrade with a name that sounds like a secret government project: x402 V2.

This isn’t your grandma’s payment system; it’s a modular, extensible beast designed to make autonomous payments smoother than a buttered‑up blockchain transaction.

The new version is all about making life easier for developers. Imagine being able to combine payments, secure wallet access, and add new features without breaking a sweat. That’s the promise of x402 V2. It’s like giving AI agents a Swiss Army knife for payments, complete with wallet‑based identity (so they don’t have to repay on every call), automatic API discovery (because who has time to manually search?), and dynamic payment recipients (for those last‑minute changes).

And let’s not forget the cherry on top: support for more chains and fiat via CAIP standards. This isn’t just about making payments; it’s about making them future‑proof. Coinbase is essentially saying, 'Hey, AI agents, we’ve got your back—now go forth and transact like never before.'

Earlier this year, Coinbase introduced the open‑source autonomous payments protocol x402, and more recently, they added a discovery layer for AI agents, dubbed x402 Bazaar—think of it as a Google for agents. Now, with x402 V2, they’re taking it a step further, making the protocol cleaner, more extensible, and ready for whatever the future throws at it.