The x402 token ecosystem has experienced an explosive surge in a mere three days, escalating from 10 listed tokens collectively valued at $178 million on October 25, 2025, to 44 coins with a combined market capitalization soaring to $832 million as of October 28. This rapid escalation reflects growing enthusiasm for machine-to-machine (M2M) payments and the emergence of the “Agentic Economy,” where AI systems are capable of autonomous financial transactions.
What is x402? It is an open-source, HTTP-native payment protocol developed by Coinbase that cleverly revives the long-dormant HTTP 402 "Payment Required" status code. The protocol enables websites, APIs, and even AI agents to request real-time payments directly through standard web requests, eliminating the need for subscriptions or intermediaries.
The mechanism is straightforward: instead of traditional paywalls, users can send instant micropayments—typically in USDC—directly via their web browser. These transactions settle in about two seconds and incur zero protocol fees. Critically, x402 operates across multiple blockchains, including Base, Solana, Polygon, and Sei, ensuring seamless interoperability within the broader crypto landscape.
The x402 Foundation, co-founded by Coinbase and Cloudflare, has already attracted integration efforts from major corporations. Companies like Google, Visa, AWS, Circle, and Anthropic are reportedly testing or adopting x402’s capabilities for AI-driven payments, underscoring its potential as a universal digital payment layer. These x402 tokens are typically utility or governance assets for projects leveraging the x402 protocol, allowing AI agents to autonomously pay for data queries, processing power, or analytics. Leading projects in this booming sector include eigencloud (EIGEN), the current market leader, and FLOCK, which utilizes x402 to facilitate razor-thin, pay-per-use payments for accessing fine-tuned AI models.
Posted Using INLEO