Linux Foundation launches x402 payment protocol body

The Linux Foundation has launched the x402 Foundation and accepted the x402 protocol from Coinbase, placing it under a neutral governance structure.

The new foundation will serve as the home for x402, an open protocol designed to enable payments over HTTP, the core system used to transfer data on the web. It is aimed at internet-based payments used by AI agents, applications and application programming interfaces.

Created by Coinbase, x402 is being moved into the Linux Foundation as part of a broader push to develop the standard through an open source model. Its governing framework was initially developed by Coinbase, Cloudflare and Stripe.

Initial backing comes from a broad group of payments, cloud and technology companies, including Amazon Web Services, American Express, Cloudflare, Coinbase, Google, Mastercard, Microsoft, Shopify, Stripe and Visa, as well as Adyen, Circle, Fiserv Merchant Solutions, KakaoPay, Polygon Labs, PPRO and Solana Foundation.

Open governance

Under Linux Foundation governance, the protocol will remain vendor neutral and be developed through a community-led process. That structure is intended to support transparency, interoperability and broader access for companies building around the standard.

The approach mirrors the Linux Foundation's role in other shared technology projects, where competing companies collaborate on common infrastructure while continuing to build their own services and products. Here, the focus is a payment standard that can sit directly within web-based interactions.

"The internet was built on open protocols," said Jim Zemlin, Chief Executive Officer of the Linux Foundation. "The x402 Foundation will create an open, community-governed home to develop these capabilities in the open, ensuring they evolve with transparency, interoperability, and broad participation across the ecosystem."

The foundation's creation comes as technology and payments companies examine how AI systems will make transactions on behalf of users and businesses. Backers of the project frame the protocol as part of the plumbing for that shift, particularly where software agents need to pay for access to services, data or digital tools.

Coinbase, which contributed the protocol, described x402 as a step toward making online payments work more like the open systems that underpin email and the web. Cloudflare and Stripe, both involved in the standard's early development, also signalled support for placing it under a neutral body.

"x402 moves us toward a more open financial system where sending value online is as simple as sending an email. By backing the x402 Foundation, we're helping build the native payment layer the internet has never had - one that's global, programmable, and always on," said Shan Aggarwal, Chief Business Officer of Coinbase.

Cloudflare tied the move to broader debates over standards in digital commerce and how AI-driven transactions should be governed. Stripe linked the project to businesses accepting payments from software agents.

"The Internet was built on open standards, but for too long, the payment layer of the web has been fragmented and proprietary. By moving the x402 protocol under the stewardship of the Linux Foundation, we are ensuring that the future of agentic commerce remains neutral, interoperable, and accessible to everyone. Cloudflare is committed to providing the secure, global infrastructure needed to turn this protocol into a fundamental pillar of how value moves across the Internet," said Stephanie Cohen, Chief Strategy Officer of Cloudflare.

"Stripe is building financial infrastructure for the agentic commerce era, and open protocols are an important part of creating a thriving ecosystem. We're looking forward to collaborating with the x402 community to help businesses accept payments from agents at scale," said Kevin Miller, Business Lead, Payments, Stripe.

Industry support

Several established payments groups also used the launch to set out their positions on open standards. American Express, Mastercard and Visa said interoperable frameworks will matter as agent-to-agent and agent-to-business transactions develop. Adyen and Fiserv Merchant Solutions focused on merchant adoption and the need for systems that work across businesses of different sizes.

Google and Amazon Web Services pointed to the role of cloud providers in supporting these transaction models, while Shopify highlighted the implications for merchants using its commerce software. Circle and Solana Foundation stressed the potential role of digital currencies and stablecoins in transactions carried out through the protocol.

One of the more specific data points came from Solana Foundation, which said the network had accounted for nearly 65% of x402 transaction volume this year. That suggests the protocol is already seeing some use in blockchain-based payment flows, even as its backers seek broader adoption across the web and traditional payments infrastructure.

"As commerce becomes increasingly agent-driven, payments need to be as open and interoperable as the web itself. By supporting the x402 Foundation, Visa is working to ensure that trusted and secure payments can happen seamlessly, with cards or stablecoins, wherever AI agents transact," said Rubail Birwadker, Global Head of Growth Products and Strategic Partnerships at Visa.