Block adds Bitcoin Lightning support to x402 as AI agent payments expand
As AI-driven commerce pushes demand for automated micropayments, Block is adding Bitcoin Lightning support to the x402 payment protocol and joining the x402 Foundation. The move extends the company’s broader payments strategy for AI agents and links it with a group that also includes Google, Microsoft, Amazon Web Services, Coinbase and the Solana Foundation.
Highlights
- Block integrated Bitcoin Lightning with the x402 payment standard, targeting low-cost, high-volume AI agent commerce transactions.
- Block joined the x402 Foundation, whose supporters now include Google, Microsoft, Amazon Web Services, Coinbase, and the Solana Foundation.
- This expansion aligns with Block’s involvement in the Universal Commerce Protocol, signaling intensifying competition in automated, AI-driven digital payments infrastructure.
Lightning integration targets AI commerce payments
As reported by Cointelegraph, citing Block, the company says Bitcoin Lightning is well suited to the low-cost, high-volume transactions expected in agentic commerce. The company joined the x402 Foundation and added Lightning support to the open payment standard as it expands its push into infrastructure for AI agents.Steve Lee, head of Block’s Bitcoin development initiative Spiral, says bringing Lightning to x402 is a concrete step toward making Bitcoin usable for everyday payments by both people and automated agents. The x402 protocol is designed to let AI agents and web services autonomously pay for API access, data and other digital services.
Industry backing and broader payments strategy
Block’s entry adds another large technology and crypto backer to the x402 Foundation, which launched in April under the Linux Foundation. Other supporters named in the announcement include Google, Microsoft, Amazon Web Services, Coinbase and the Solana Foundation.The company says the latest move also builds on its participation in the Universal Commerce Protocol, an effort aimed at enabling AI-driven commerce for small businesses. The expansion signals growing competition around payment rails for automated digital transactions, as companies position for higher volumes of machine-to-machine commerce.
In our earlier article on safeguards for agentic commerce payments, we explained how banks, card networks, and payment processors are building controls around AI-initiated purchases as questions persist over fraud, authorization, liability, and dispute resolution. We also noted that the business opportunity may accrue to firms providing verification and chargeback tooling, even as higher AI-driven payment volume does not necessarily translate into higher profits for payment companies.
-
Afghanistan
-
Albania
-
Algeria
-
Angola
-
Argentina
-
Armenia
-
Australia
-
Austria
-
Azerbaijan
-
Bahamas
-
Bahrain
-
Bangladesh
-
Belarus
-
Belgium
-
Bolivia
-
Botswana
-
Brazil
-
Brunei
-
Bulgaria
-
Cambodia
-
Cameroon
-
Canada
-
Chile
-
China
-
Colombia
-
Congo
-
Costa Rica
-
Cote d'Ivoire
-
Croatia
-
Cuba
-
Cyprus
-
Czechia
-
DR Congo
-
Denmark
-
Dominican Republic
-
Ecuador
-
Egypt
-
El Salvador
-
Estonia
-
Eswatini
-
Ethiopia
-
Finland
-
France
-
Georgia
-
Germany
-
Ghana
-
Greece
-
Haiti
-
Hong Kong
-
Hungary
-
India
-
Indonesia
-
Iran, Islamic republic
-
Iraq
-
Ireland
-
Israel
-
Italy
-
Jamaica
-
Japan
-
Jordan
-
Kazakhstan
-
Kenya
-
Korea
-
Kuwait
-
Kyrgyzstan
-
Laos
-
Latvia
-
Lebanon
-
Lesotho
-
Libya
-
Lithuania
-
Luxembourg
-
Madagascar
-
Malaysia
-
Malta
-
Mauritius
-
Mexico
-
Moldova
-
Mongolia
-
Montenegro
-
Morocco
-
Mozambique
-
Myanmar
-
Namibia
-
Nepal
-
Netherlands
-
New Zealand
-
Nigeria
-
North Macedonia
-
Norway
-
Oman
-
Pakistan
-
Palestine
-
Panama
-
Papua New Guinea
-
Paraguay
-
Peru
-
Philippines
-
Poland
-
Portugal
-
Puerto Rico
-
Qatar
-
Reunion
-
Romania
-
Rwanda
-
Saudi Arabia
-
Serbia
-
Singapore
-
Slovakia
-
Slovenia
-
Somalia
-
South Africa
-
Spain
-
Sri Lanka
-
Sweden
-
Switzerland
-
Syria
-
Taiwan
-
Tajikistan
-
Tanzania
-
Thailand
-
Trinidad and Tobago
-
Tunisia
-
Turkey
-
UAE
-
Uganda
-
Ukraine
-
United Kingdom
-
United States
-
Uruguay
-
Uzbekistan
-
Venezuela
-
Vietnam
-
Yemen
-
Zambia
-
Zimbabwe
- Forex
- Crypto
