x402 is an open payment standard from Coinbase that uses the long-unused HTTP 402 “Payment Required” code so AI agents and apps can pay for online services. Payments are mostly made in USDC on Base through facilitators, and buyers sign an authorization rather than create accounts or API keys. More than 50 companies, including Visa, Mastercard and Google, have joined the x402 Foundation, which now governs the protocol under the Linux Foundation. According to Fireblocks, x402 had processed more than 196 million transactions across 12 chains as of November 1, 2026, settling over $42 million, though more than half of lifetime transactions came from a two-month burst in late 2025 linked to the PING token.
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