Key Highlights
- Ripple joined the x402 Foundation as a Premier Member under the Linux Foundation.
- The x402 protocol aims to enable AI agents, APIs, and applications to make native internet payments.
- The initiative is backed by 40+ organizations, including AWS, Google, Coinbase, Visa, Mastercard, Stripe, and Circle.
Ripple, a blockchain-based global payment and settlement network provider, joined the newly launched x402 Foundation as a Premier Member on Tuesday. The x402 Foundation, operating under the Linux Foundation, aims to establish an open standard for embedding payment capabilities into web interactions, particularly for AI agents and automated systems.
In an X post, Ripple noted its existing work on the XRP Ledger to support agentic payments. The company said x402 integration will allow agents to transact using XRP and its stablecoin, RLUSD. Ripple also said it plans to contribute to the foundation’s technical and governance efforts to develop open standards for internet-native payments.
Markus Infanger, senior vice president of RippleX, stated, “As AI agents begin to take on more of the transaction lifecycle, they will need a way to pay that is as fast and reliable as the way they already exchange data. Open standards like x402 help lay the foundation for trusted, interoperable machine-to-machine payments.”
What is the x402 Foundation building?
The Linux Foundation announced the launch of the x402 Foundation and the completed contribution of the x402 protocol, which seeks to enable AI agents, APIs, and applications to handle financial transactions with the same efficiency as data exchange.
According to the Linux Foundation, AI agents are increasingly participating in the economy but previously lacked a native, secure payment method. The foundation launched with governance contributions from Coinbase and support from 40 member organizations.
Premier members include companies such as Adyen, AWS, American Express, Circle, Cloudflare, Coinbase, Fiserv, Google, Mastercard, Ripple, Shopify, Solana Foundation, Stellar Development Foundation, Stripe, and Visa. The structure is designed to promote interoperability across payment types, including cards and stablecoins, while avoiding vendor lock-in.
Jim Zemlin, CEO of the Linux Foundation, described the launch as important for open, community-governed payment standards over HTTP. The Foundation intends to bring together finance, technology, and other sectors to ensure neutrality and security.
Ripple expands XRPL ecosystem in Brazil
In a separate development, Ripple is advancing its presence in Latin America by partnering with Fundação Getulio Vargas (FGV) Digital Finance Center through its University Blockchain Research Initiative (UBRI).
The collaboration completed the first Brazilian cohort of the University Digital Asset Xcelerator (UDAX), an 8-week program. The initiative concluded with a Demo Day at the FGV Auditorium in São Paulo, where nine fintech startups building on the XRP Ledger (XRPL) were presented to venture capitalists, compliance experts, and mentors.
Participants also received mentoring from Ripple executives, FGV professors, University of California, Berkeley faculty, and other Brazilian academics.
AI payments still face adoption challenges
Despite the announcement, questions remain about the practical impact of the x402 Foundation and Ripple’s participation. XRP and RLUSD continue to face regulatory uncertainty in some jurisdictions, which could affect broader adoption for AI-driven payment use cases.
In addition, AI agent payments remain an emerging area, with limited evidence of large-scale, production-ready deployments.
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