The x402 Foundation is moving the x402 agentic payments protocol, incubated by Coinbase, to the Linux Foundation, according to an announcement on Thursday.
With the move, many high-profile tech, crypto, and finance firms will begin contributing to the stewardship of x402. This includes Amazon Web Services, American Express, Ant International, Base, Circle, Google, KakaoPay, Mastercard, Microsoft, Polygon Labs, Shopify, Solana Foundation, and Visa, among others.
Coinbase initially established the x402 Foundation with support from Cloudflare and Stripe, which will remain active in the expanded and reformed organization.
To some extent, the new structure is meant to reflect the principles of the x402 protocol, which is designed as an open and neutral system for internet payments. Under Linux Foundation governance, the x402 protocol is set to remain vendor neutral, per the announcement.
“The internet was built on open protocols,” said Jim Zemlin, CEO of the Linux Foundation. “The x402 Foundation will create an open, community-governed home to develop these capabilities in the open, ensuring they evolve with transparency, interoperability, and broad participation across the ecosystem.”
The x402 protocol was named after the long-dormant HTTP 402 “Payment Required” status code, a blank space that the internet’s original architects planned to fill with a native payments system.
The Linux Foundation acts as a sort of umbrella organization for other entities that oversee free and open-source (FOSS) software, allowing them to maintain independent governance and funding setups, like the Hyperledger Foundation, which fosters blockchain projects Fabric and Besu, and the Cloud Native Computing Foundation, which hosts the foundational Kubernetes platform.
Agentic payments
The x402 protocol is one among an emerging set of open source standards designed to facilitate the nascent agentic economy. Last month, Stripe and Tempo also released the Machine Payments Protocol, while Visa rolled out a command-line payments tool for bots.
“Stripe is building financial infrastructure for the agentic commerce era, and open protocols are an important part of creating a thriving ecosystem. We’re looking forward to collaborating with the x402 community to help businesses accept payments from agents at scale,” Stripe Business Lead Kevin Miller said.
Over the past year, Coinbase has gradually improved x402 to make it increasingly AI-friendly, including tools to give agents wallets, as well as technologically neutral. The protocol supports not only crypto transactions via Base, Polygon and Solana, but also legacy channels like credit cards, ACH, and bank rails.
While x402 has at times seen spikes of activity, the protocol typically sees daily transaction volumes measured in the tens of thousands, The Block’s data shows.
© 2026 The Block. All Rights Reserved. This article is provided for informational purposes only. It is not offered or intended to be used as legal, tax, investment, financial, or other advice.
Trade Crypto On Coinhub Exchange
Trade Crypto On Coinhub Exchange
Stay ahead of the market by turning news insights into trading opportunities. With Coinhub Exchange, you can seamlessly buy, sell, and manage your digital assets, all in one secure platform. Take advantage of real-time market insights, deep liquidity, and fast execution for your favorite cryptocurrencies. Don’t just read about it — trade crypto now!
Disclaimer
The content of this article shown by Coinhub News, powered by The Block, is for informational purposes only and should not be construed as financial, legal, tax, or investment advice. Coinhub News and its affiliates are not a licensed financial advisor, legal advisor, broker, or tax advisor, and ... should not be considered as professional advice or a recommendation to engage in any specific investment, legal decision, or financial transaction. Cryptocurrency markets are highly speculative and volatile. Readers should perform their own independent research and consult with a qualified professional before making any financial or legal decisions. The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views or opinions of the Company of its affiliates. Additionally, the Company does not make any representations or warranties regarding the accuracy, timeliness, reliability, or completeness of any information in this article. By accessing this content, you acknowledge that any reliance on the information contained in this article is solely at your own risk. The Company is not responsible for any financial losses, legal disputes, or other damages that may arise from reliance on this content or from any investment or legal decisions based on the information provided. Investing in cryptocurrencies involves substantial risks, including the risk of losing your entire investment, and you should carefully consider whether it is appropriate for your circumstances.
Read more
