When AI Agents Start Sending Money on Their Own
Key Highlights
• Google teams up with Coinbase to launch an open-source payments protocol for AI apps, including stablecoins.
• Salesforce, American Express, and 60+ firms back the framework as AI-to-AI payments move closer to reality.
Yello, Paradisers! Google just pulled the trigger on a financial experiment that sounds like science fiction but is very real: giving AI applications the ability to pay each other directly, in both dollars and stablecoins. Built with Coinbase, Salesforce, and more than 60 other partners, the open-source protocol extends Google’s earlier “AI agent” standard into money transfers.
Yes, that means your AI assistant negotiating your Spotify bill or shopping for sneakers could soon also be settling payments, no human involved. James Tromans, head of Web3 at Google Cloud, framed it as merging legacy rails with future money. “It works with cards, but also with stablecoins,” he told Fortune.
Coinbase Joins the Mix
Coinbase’s Erik Reppel confirmed that the stablecoin backbone was engineered for interoperability, so agent-to-agent transfers work seamlessly across platforms. Contributions came from the Ethereum Foundation, Salesforce, American Express, Etsy, and others, highlighting how much traditional finance wants in on this future.
The timing isn’t random. Stablecoins are exploding in adoption, $289 billion in circulation today compared to $205 billion just months ago, per DeFiLlama. Regulators have also softened: the SEC said fully backed stablecoins aren’t securities, and Congress’ GENIUS Act cemented reserve standards this summer. Against that backdrop, Google is planting a flag where Apple and Meta are still hesitating.
The Risks Nobody Wants to Talk About
While the headlines glow, there are risks. Security breaches in agent-to-agent transfers could make rug pulls look quaint. AI systems misfiring payments could trigger lawsuits and systemic shocks regulators haven’t prepared for. And the optics? Big Tech and Big Crypto teaming up to let machines move money behind our backs may not sit comfortably with governments already spooked by AI’s power.
Still, the direction is clear: AI agents will soon be economic agents. Stablecoins are their fuel. And Google, alongside Coinbase, just lit the first match.
MCP Final Word
This exact shift, where AI and crypto blur into one payments system, was flagged by our analysts in a recent MCP stream. If you missed it, MCP News Private is breaking down the winners, losers, and market plays for just $3/month. That’s less than a Netflix subscription, but unlike Netflix, these insights could stop your portfolio from being wiped by a bot making trades faster than you can blink.
First AI took our conversations, now it’s about to take our wallets. Are you ready for machines that pay each other in stablecoins?
