Coinbase has rolled out Payments MCP, a new tool that lets AI systems send and receive money directly on the blockchain. The launch gives AI agents the power to create wallets, onramp funds, and send stablecoins without coding or API keys. This marks a major step toward what Coinbase calls “agentic commerce,” where machines transact on behalf of users in real time through secure crypto rails.
As per the blog post, Payments MCP builds on x402, Coinbase’s open payment standard inspired by the unused “HTTP 402: Payment Required” code. The system works with Anthropic’s Claude, Google’s Gemini, OpenAI’s Codex, and Cherry Studio. It lets AI agents make direct payments and manage onchain assets using natural language commands. Hence, developers and everyday users can now give AI systems controlled financial autonomy.
Building a Standard for AI Payments
Coinbase Developer Platform built Payments MCP as part of its broader effort to make digital money programmable. An MCP, or Model Context Protocol, gives AI models a safe way to use external services like wallets and payment tools.
Now, AI agents can interact with programmable money safely and transparently. Each wallet includes spending limits, approval thresholds, and session caps to ensure user control.
Secure, Open, and Compliant by Design
Users can create wallets with only an email address and start transacting instantly. Moreover, Coinbase embedded compliance directly into the platform. Additionally, Coinbase and Cloudflare are supporting the x402 Foundation to maintain the protocol as open infrastructure. Reppel expects 2026 to become “the year of agentic payments,” where AI systems will autonomously buy compute and data using stablecoins.
Payments MCP could change how AI uses money by letting machines handle real payments on their own. It’s a big move toward a future where AI can take part in the economy like people do.