In a new X post, Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong confirmed a feature that could be called a "killer" one, if it actually works. Thus, the company's x402 protocol now communicates with Solana, enabling users to pay with USDC without navigating the typical crypto processes.
The interesting part, though, is that AI agents can now shop online using USDC on Solana through this feature.
Imagine software that can spend money automatically, eliminating the need for someone to click "confirm purchase" every time. Your AI assistant could pay for cloud storage, buy API credits and handle subscription renewals while you sleep.
The feature launched this week, and Armstrong is confident in seeing it as a real seamless payment integration.
Interestingly, Solana's co-founder, Anatoly Yakovenko, also spotted the news and reacted by thanking Armstrong with a reply post. It's quite a development though as Coinbase has a blockchain it already backs, Base, an EVM-based one, but still shows support for external chains like Solana.
This may be due to the fact that Solana is the "hottest" blockchain this cycle, and its total value locked measured by billions of dollars is an argument one can't risk to ignore.
Solana + Coinbase = win-win?
For businesses, it's crypto payments without the crypto headaches. No special infrastructure or blockchain expertise is required; just plug it into whatever payment system is already in place.
Everyone is developing AI agents that need to interact with the real world, and the real world runs on payments. Solana could be the missing piece that allows AI to perform useful tasks online instead of just discussing them.
Whether or not it will be used remains to be seen, but the technical barriers just got a lot smaller.
Dan Burgin
Vladislav Sopov
U.Today Editorial Team