Coinbase, Linux Foundation Form x402 Foundation for Open Payments

Coinbase has partnered with the Linux Foundation to establish the x402 Foundation, an industry group aimed at developing an open payments standard for the internet. The initiative, announced this week, brings together major technology and financial companies to govern the x402 protocol, which enables seamless transactions embedded in web traffic. Launched by Coinbase in 2025, the protocol revives the long-dormant HTTP 402 Payment Required status code to allow websites, APIs, and applications to request and process payments directly during standard online interactions.

The x402 protocol facilitates machine-to-machine payments without requiring user accounts, subscriptions, or manual approvals, making it particularly suited for high-frequency, low-value transactions. Developers can integrate it into services using stablecoins like USDC, enabling automated retries after payment settlement. This approach supports emerging use cases, such as AI agents paying for content, compute resources, or API access in real time. Early adopters include projects integrating x402 for agent verification and infrastructure like MoonPay's Open Wallet Standard.

Founding participants in the x402...