Coinbase-backed x402 adds batch settlements for AI agents

Coinbase-backed x402 on Wednesday added batched settlement, allowing AI agents to aggregate many small ERC-20 payments and settle them in bulk onchain. The feature targets high-frequency micro-payments tied to tasks such as compute and inference.

In the x402 flow, buyers deposit ERC-20 tokens into onchain escrow and issue signed offchain vouchers for each paid request. Sellers verify vouchers, fulfill requests, and later redeem multiple vouchers together in a single onchain settlement.

Base creator Jesse Pollak wrote that the feature enables “very small payments below $0.0001” for on-demand resources such as compute and inference.

Coinbase developer platform lead Joshua Nickerson wrote on X that deposits, batched settlements and refunds can be sponsored by the transaction facilitator, allowing sellers to offer an effectively gasless experience to agents.

Each paid request carries a signed cumulative voucher. Sellers’ channel managers aggregate claims from multiple buyer channels into a single transaction and then sweep funds to the receiver. That arrangement reduces the number of onchain transactions required to settle many small payments and lowers per-request gas costs.

Batch settlements allow agents to accept any Ethereum-native ERC-20 token, not only stablecoins. The feature is available now in TypeScript and Go, with a Python implementation expected soon.

Last week Amazon Web Services integrated the x402 payment protocol and wallet infrastructure to let AI agents make USDC payments on Base and Solana without direct access to private keys. Coinbase reported x402 processed more than 169 million payments across roughly 590,000 buyers and more than 100,000 sellers in its first year.

Other companies are building agent payment tools. Stablecoin issuer Circle launched tools enabling AI agents to discover services, use wallets and execute programmable USDC payments. Aptos Foundation and Aptos Labs committed $50 million to Aptos development with a focus on AI agent infrastructure, including an onchain order book and decentralized storage protocols.

x402 is an open protocol built around the HTTP 402 “Payment Required” status code to support machine-to-machine payments. Batched settlement is intended to make microtransactions for tasks such as inference and compute more practical by reducing settlement overhead.