Ethereum

Satoshi

Bitcoin

Brian

An online payments protocol introduced by Coinbase in May that enables AI agents to transact in stablecoins over the internet has seen more than a 10,000% increase in transaction activity over the last month.
At the time, Coinbase said x402 fixes “the internet’s first mistake” by resurrecting the Internet Communication Protocol’s Hypertext Transfer Protocol 402 — or HTTP 402 — to create a seamless payment system native to the internet.
It lets AI — and humans — pay directly while using a website or app: they request something, receive a HTTP 402 “Payment Required” prompt, and then send a signed stablecoin payment, which x402 then verifies automatically. No credit cards required.
There were nearly 500,000 x402 transactions between Oct. 14 and 20, marking a 10,780% rise in comparison to levels seen four weeks earlier, according to Dune Analytics <a href="https://dune.com/queries/5236154/8606551" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">data.</a>
Transaction activity went even higher on Friday, with other Dune Analytics <a href="https://dune.com/obchakevich/x402" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">data</a> showing a record 239,505 transactions were made, while on Thursday, a record $332,000 in transaction volume was posted.
<figure>
 <img src="https://s3.cointelegraph.com/uploads/2025-10/019a1eb2-1643-7db3-8829-4cf409578433" title="" alt="Coinbase’s x402 transactions explode over 10,000% in a month">
 <figcaption style="text-align: center;">
 Source: <a href="https://x.com/brian_armstrong/status/1981869773333098593" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="https://x.com/brian_armstrong/status/1981869773333098593">Brian Armstrong</a> 
 </figcaption>
</figure>
It comes as tech-focused venture capital firm a16z’s crypto arm mentioned agentic AI in its 2025 <a href="https://cointelegraph.com/news/stablecoins-global-macroeconomic-force-a16z?utm_source=chatgpt.com" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">State of Crypto report</a> earlier this week, where it anticipated that autonomous transactions could reach $30 trillion by 2030.
Without the need for <a href="https://cointelegraph.com/news/future-own-their-ai" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">human intervention</a> in managing API calls, storage, and computation, agentic AIs could enable everything from <a href="https://cointelegraph.com/news/ai-agents-ethereums-biggest-power-user?utm_source=chatgpt.com" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">self-driving taxis covering their own costs</a> with stablecoins to apps automatically using stablecoins to store data permanently, Coinbase development team members Kevin Leffew and Lincoln Murr said in August.
In a limited manner, AI agents are already<a href="https://cointelegraph.com/news/ai-agents-poised-crypto-major-vulnerability" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow"> trading crypto</a> by analyzing market data, executing buy or sell orders, and optimizing portfolios in real time without human intervention.
<h2 id="coingecko-lists-x402-tokens-as-a-new-category">CoinGecko lists x402 tokens as a new category</h2>
Developers are now leveraging x402’s design to launch tokens directly — fueling a wave of x402-powered memecoin launches, KuCoin Ventures <a href="https://x.com/KuCoinVentures/status/1981613135460237654" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">noted</a> on X.
Related: <a href="https://cointelegraph.com/news/tether-helps-rumble-add-bitcoin-tips-for-content-creators" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Rumble partners with Tether to add Bitcoin tips for content creators</a>
The rise prompted CoinGecko to <a href="https://www.coingecko.com/en/categories/x402-ecosystem" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">track</a> x402 tokens as a new ecosystem, which has boomed into a near $180 million market, up 266% over the last 24 hours.
<figure>
 <img src="https://s3.cointelegraph.com/uploads/2025-10/019a1eb2-1967-7697-820c-ea0b27458d59" title="" alt="Coinbase’s x402 transactions explode over 10,000% in a month">
 <figcaption style="text-align: center;">
 Source: <a href="https://www.coingecko.com/en/categories/x402-ecosystem" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="https://www.coingecko.com/en/categories/x402-ecosystem">CoinGecko</a> 
 </figcaption>
</figure>
<h2 id="ethereum-best-fit-for-http-402">Ethereum best fit for HTTP 402</h2>
Leffew and Murr said<a href="https://cointelegraph.com/news/the-fight-for-ethereums-soul-cointelegraph-documentary" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow"> Ethereum’s trustless settlement layer</a> makes it the ideal blockchain for HTTP 402 implementation, noting that it makes invoices and dispute chargebacks far more efficient than traditional processes.
“They need atomic payments, programmable policies, and composable wallets. Ethereum and stablecoins give them exactly that.”
Magazine:<a href="https://cointelegraph.com/magazine/benjamin-wallace-mysterious-mr-nakamoto-review/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow"> Mysterious Mr Nakamoto author: Finding Satoshi would hurt Bitcoin</a>

Coinbase’s x402 transactions explode over 10,000% in a month

Table of Contents

Cointelegraph

Other articles published on Oct 26, 2025

Join our free newsletter for daily crypto updates!