Google Introduces Open-Source Payment Protocol for AI Applications
Google has launched an open-source protocol that enables AI applications to send and receive payments, including transactions with stablecoins, underlining the increasing significance of dollar-pegged cryptocurrencies in the developing AI-driven web.
This initiative is being rolled out in collaboration with Salesforce, American Express, and over 60 other companies, according to a report by Fortune on Tuesday. The stablecoin capabilities were developed in conjunction with crypto exchange Coinbase, and the Ethereum Foundation was consulted during the project’s development.
James Tromans, who heads Web3 at Google Cloud, confirmed the launch, stating to Fortune that the protocol was intended to support both “existing payment rail capabilities as well as forthcoming capabilities such as stablecoins.”
Erik Reppel, an engineer at Coinbase, mentioned that the exchange collaborated with Google to ensure their payment systems would be interoperable. “We’re all working to figure out how to make AI transmit value to each other,” he shared with Fortune.
The payment system builds on Google’s Agent2Agent Protocol, which was introduced in April and provides a framework for AI agents to exchange information and interact more effectively. This framework was developed with the assistance of over 50 technology partners, including PayPal, Salesforce, and SAP, as well as consulting firms such as Deloitte, McKinsey, and PwC.
The announcement on Tuesday arrives amidst a growing initiative to link AI agents—autonomous software programs capable of making decisions without human intervention—with decentralized finance (DeFi) protocols. Such integration could enhance trading efficiency, improve user interactions, and broaden real-world payment applications.
Stablecoins have the potential to be the most influential crypto application for AI agents, emerging just as both technologies are gaining wider acceptance. Recently, these dollar-pegged tokens have received a regulatory boost in the United States through the GENIUS Act.
Mike Novogratz, CEO of Galaxy Digital, recently emphasized the significance of stablecoins in this transition, predicting that AI agents will eventually become “the biggest user of stablecoins.”
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The Ethereum Foundation has also pointed out the promise of stablecoins in fueling AI-driven applications.
In August, the foundation drew attention to the inactive HTTP 402 status code—indicating “payment required”—noting that when combined with Ethereum Improvement Proposal (EIP) 3009, it could allow AI agents to carry out stablecoin transfers automatically.
At that time, the foundation affirmed that “autonomous agents are about to become Ethereum’s biggest power users.”
