Amazon Web Services (AWS) introduced the AgentCore Payments module for the Amazon Bedrock platform, enabling autonomous AI agents to pay for access to online services using the USDC stablecoin.
AWS integrated Coinbase’s payment infrastructure and the x402 protocol into Amazon Bedrock. The solution allows AI agents to independently discover and pay for online services while complying with corporate spending controls and compliance requirements.
The new feature is aimed at developers building autonomous AI agents for enterprise use. Through the integration of Coinbase Wallet and the x402 protocol, companies can deploy agents capable of using USDC for micropayments across the Base and Solana blockchains.
According to Coinbase, one of the main obstacles to adopting autonomous AI agents in enterprise environments is legal and financial restrictions. Companies required transaction transparency, spending limits, and auditing tools. AgentCore Payments addresses these concerns through built-in payment controls and governance mechanisms.
The service enables micropayments through a single API call. The system handles wallet authentication, transaction signing, and payment processing, while the agents themselves never gain access to private keys.
Developers can also define time-based spending limits for agents. For example, an agent’s spending can be capped at $1 over a five-minute period. Once the limit is reached, the agent automatically loses the ability to spend additional funds.
Coinbase also integrated compliance tools to ensure that every transaction is screened for financial risks and sanctions compliance. Companies additionally receive complete transaction logs, metrics, and monitoring dashboards for all payments initiated by agents.
The system is built on the open x402 protocol, which uses the HTTP 402 Payment Required response code to facilitate machine-to-machine payments. According to Coinbase, settlements on the Base network take around 200 milliseconds, while transaction costs amount to less than a fraction of a cent.
Through the integration of Coinbase MCP into AgentCore Gateway, agents gain access to thousands of x402-enabled services. The new solution allows AI agents to independently pay for access to data, search services, and infrastructure tools in real time. Mentioned partners include:
- Exa;
- Messari;
- Browserbase, among others.
Coinbase reports that more than 169 million payments have been processed through the x402 protocol over the past year. The ecosystem already includes over 590,000 buyers and more than 100,000 sellers. AWS and Coinbase are among the participants of the x402 Foundation, established in March 2026 to support the protocol’s development.
