x402: The Internet-Native Payment Standard Powering the AI Agent Economy
Traditional online payment systems are outdated. They’re slow, expensive, and depend heavily on humans.
x402 changes that.
It introduces a new way for developers and AI agents to pay for APIs, software, and services directly with stablecoins, all over standard HTTP connections.
In simple terms, it makes autonomous, instant payments possible between machines, without needing middlemen.
The Problem: Payments That Don’t Match the Internet’s SpeedThe digital world moves fast, but today’s payment rails still crawl.
They rely on centralized processors, carry high fees, and take days to settle.
Every API, subscription, or software access comes with friction, recurring billing systems, manual approvals, and regional limitations.
For developers and AI agents that operate in real time, that model doesn’t work anymore.
The Solution: Agent-to-Agent Paymentsx402 replaces this outdated setup with an agent-to-agent payment model.
Here’s what that means in practice: