October 23, 2025 — Coinbase has unveiled a groundbreaking new protocol that allows artificial intelligence (AI) agents to directly manage crypto wallets and stablecoin payments on the blockchain — a move the company says will connect AI systems to the global financial ecosystem.
In an official blog post, the exchange introduced Payments MCP — short for Model Context Protocol — a developer tool designed to let AI models create wallets, send payments, and interact with blockchain functions without API keys or complex setup.
How It Works
Payments MCP gives AI systems access to essential crypto operations, including:
- Wallet creation and management
- Stablecoin transfers
- On-chain data retrieval and compute payments
Supported AI models include Claude, Gemini, Codex, and Cherry Studio, all of which can use natural language commands to initiate payments or interact with on-chain systems.
Coinbase says users can create wallets using just an email address, set spending limits, and track transactions through a secure local desktop interface.
The tool also integrates with x402, a crypto payment framework Coinbase co-developed with Cloudflare, allowing AI agents to transact securely across decentralized networks.
A Step Toward ‘Agentic Commerce’
Coinbase described the launch as a step toward what it calls “agentic commerce” — an emerging concept where intelligent AI systems can operate financially on their own, performing actions like paying for services, subscribing to data feeds, or compensating other agents for computation.
According to the company, the goal is to enable AI to become economically autonomous, bridging the gap between machine intelligence and decentralized finance (DeFi).
AI Meets Crypto Infrastructure
Payments MCP builds on Coinbase’s broader 2025 strategy of merging AI automation with blockchain infrastructure. The company’s recent efforts — including its USDC lending program, Google-Coinbase stablecoin integration, and Base L2 network expansion — all laid the groundwork for this initiative.
Coinbase described stablecoins as the “ideal financial infrastructure for AI,” citing their speed, transparency, and lack of human friction.
What Comes Next
In the coming months, Coinbase plans to expand Payments MCP to support more AI models and developer tools, deepening its integration of crypto payments into intelligent systems.
The company believes this technology could reshape digital commerce by allowing autonomous AI agents to fully participate in the global economy, marking a major evolution in how artificial intelligence interacts with decentralized networks.
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