Advertisement
Coinbase Launches ‘Agentic Wallets’ to Power Autonomous AI Payments
- Coinbase has introduced new infrastructure that enables AI agents to independently execute onchain financial activity within preset security limits.
- The system is built on the x402 payments protocol and expands AgentKit by adding plug-and-play wallet functionality for autonomous agents.
- At launch, the product supports EVM networks, Solana and gasless transactions on Base, alongside programmable safeguards to manage risk.
Coinbase has released Agentic Wallets, describing them as the first wallet infrastructure created specifically for autonomous AI agents. The system is designed to allow AI-driven bots to independently hold funds, send payments, trade tokens, earn yield and transact onchain, while operating within built-in security guardrails.
Coinbase Developer Platform programmers Erik Reppel and Josh Nickerson said that although AI agents are widely used to answer questions and summarise documents, they are limited when financial actions are required. In a post on the Coinbase website they wrote, “AI agents are everywhere – answering questions, summarising documents, and assisting with tasks. But today’s agents hit a wall when they need to actually do something that requires money”.
Related: ByteConnect Launches Nationwide, Bringing Bitcoin Payments to Australian Merchant
Strengthening Crypto Payment Rails
Agentic Wallets builds on the x402 protocol, which is intended to support autonomous crypto payments without human intervention. The protocol, named after the HTTP 402 “Payment Required” status code, has processed 50 million transactions since its launch last year. In December 2025, Coinbase introduced a 2.0 version of the open-source protocol to broaden support for legacy payment rails.
The new product also expands on Coinbase’s earlier AgentKit toolkit, which enabled wallet integration during agent creation. By contrast, Agentic Wallets is presented as a plug-and-play solution that can provide any agent with a wallet to transact on a user’s behalf.
At launch, support will extend to EVM chains and Solana, alongside gasless transactions on Coinbase’s Base Layer 2. The wallets include programmable spending limits, session caps and enclave isolation to keep private keys within secure Coinbase infrastructure.
Related: Bitcoin Miner Cango Sells $305M in BTC to Fund AI Compute Push
Author
Rachel Lourdesamy
Rachel is a freelance writer based in Sydney with experience within financial services, marketing, and corporate communications in the APAC region. An avid reader and a graduate of the University of Sydney, she covers topics including business, finance and human interest.
