Block brings Bitcoin Lightning payments to x402 for AI agents

Block has become a member of the x402 Foundation and integrated Bitcoin Lightning payments into the x402 open payment protocol, the company said on Thursday. Block characterized Lightning as well-suited for the low-cost, high-volume microtransactions expected to power agentic AI commerce.

x402 is designed to allow AI agents and web services to make autonomous payments for API access, data and other digital services. The foundation that governs the standard launched in April under the Linux Foundation and counts major cloud providers and crypto firms among its backers.

Block joins organizations such as Google, Microsoft, Amazon Web Services, Coinbase and the Solana Foundation in supporting x402, reflecting broad industry interest in a common payment layer for machine-to-machine commerce. Block said its move builds on its prior involvement with the Universal Commerce Protocol, an initiative aimed at enabling AI-driven commerce for small businesses.

Steve Lee, head of Block’s Bitcoin development initiative Spiral, said bringing Lightning to x402 is a step toward making Bitcoin usable as everyday money for people and for agents acting on their behalf. The company framed the integration as a practical addition to the protocol to support the transactional demands of agentic services.