As tech companies race to build autonomous systems, Amazon Web Services (AWS) is introducing cryptocurrency payments into enterprise AI software. AI agents can complete tasks and conduct transactions online.
On Thursday, AWS announced Amazon Bedrock AgentCore Payments, a system developed in collaboration with Coinbase and Stripe that enables AI agents to automatically pay for APIs, data sources, web content, and other online services using stablecoins during task execution. This release brings stablecoin-based micropayments directly to AWS’s AI agent platform, aiming to eliminate the need for developers to build custom billing systems for each service integration.
According to Preethi CN, Director of AgentCore, the platform uses Coinbase's x402 protocol—a standards-based open protocol built on the HTTP 402 "Payment Required" response code—alongside Coinbase's wallet infrastructure and Privy wallet technology, owned by Stripe.
“The design goal of AgentCore is to be compatible with any framework and any protocol. We’ve brought this same flexibility to Amazon Bedrock AgentCore Payments. Developers no longer need to track the evolving landscape of payment protocols or be locked into a single standard,” said CN in a statement.
Amazon plans to integrate more protocols and will further support emerging protocols at the platform level, “so developers won’t need to rebuild proxies,” CN added. Once configured, the proxy can automatically pay service fees during execution.
AWS states that the initial release primarily targets micropayments for APIs, AI tools, MCP servers, and paid content. The company says future versions may support a broader range of commercial activities, including booking flights, hotels, and completing purchases on merchant platforms.
In another announcement, Coinbase described this partnership as one of the first instances of a major cloud service provider integrating cryptocurrency micropayments directly into enterprise AI infrastructure.
According to Coinbase, the x402 protocol has processed over 169 million machine-native payments involving 590,000 buyers and 100,000 sellers. The company states that transactions using this protocol settle in approximately 200 milliseconds. U.S. Monetary Committee on Ethereum layer-2 networks based on and Solana.
At the time of this announcement, tech and cryptocurrency companies are actively promoting stablecoins as the payment infrastructure for AI agents. Stablecoins have garnered significant attention because they enable fast settlement, operate 24/7, and support low-cost microtransactions—capabilities that traditional payment systems often struggle to deliver effectively.
Last week, MoonPay launched a debit card that allows AI agents to use stablecoins to make purchases at online merchants. Earlier this week, Solana and Google Cloud introduced a... service that enables AI agents to pay for APIs and cloud services with stablecoins on a pay-per-use basis.
However, not everyone believes stablecoins are the best choice for AI trading. In March of this year, the Bitcoin Policy Institute’s study found that AI models often favor Bitcoin over stablecoins in simulated economic scenarios.
Brian Foster, Head of Infrastructure Growth at Coinbase, said in a statement: "Businesses have consistently told us the same issue: they need agents capable of conducting transactions, but those agents cannot pass legal and compliance reviews. Now, AWS developers can empower agents with financial autonomy through a comprehensive managed solution. This approach works."