X402 processes $50M in payments as OpenRouter transitions to the protocol for AI settlements
The x402 payment protocol, developed by Coinbase, has processed over $50 million in payments and is being adopted by OpenRouter for AI settlements. This transition marks a shift from traditional billing methods to a pay-per-use model using cryptocurrency. The protocol aims to facilitate high-frequency, low-value transactions efficiently on the internet.
- ▪The x402 protocol has integrated more than 2,000 APIs and processed over $50 million in USDC payments.
- ▪OpenRouter, which handles approximately $1 billion in annual inference volume, is transitioning to the x402 protocol for its operations.
- ▪The x402 protocol utilizes the HTTP 402 status code to create a payment layer that allows AI agents to pay for API calls directly.
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X402 processes $50M in payments as OpenRouter transitions to the protocol for AI settlements Coinbase's HTTP 402-based payment protocol is quietly building the plumbing for how AI agents pay for things on the internet. Share Add us on Google by Editorial Team May. 22, 2026 window.sevioads = window.sevioads || []; var sevioads_preferences = []; sevioads_preferences[0] = {}; sevioads_preferences[0].zone = "01f21ccf-2092-46b1-9ac7-8c44cc782e0f"; sevioads_preferences[0].adType = "native"; sevioads_preferences[0].inventoryId = "c5700508-581b-472c-8fdd-a931cdbfc8e1"; sevioads_preferences[0].accountId = "1e47efc1-ec2d-4fca-a8b9-354e249e5095"; sevioads.push(sevioads_preferences); The x402 protocol, built by the Coinbase Development Platform team, has processed over $50M in USDC payments and…
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