Amazon Web Services (AWS) launched a stablecoin payment system on May 7 that allows AI agents to pay for digital services autonomously using USDC. The product, called Amazon Bedrock AgentCore Payments, was built in partnership with Coinbase and Stripe, and removes the need for developers to build separate billing systems for each service an agent accesses. The system enables AI agents to pay for APIs, web content, MCP servers, and other online tools during task execution. Developers can choose between a Coinbase or Stripe wallet and fund it using either stablecoins or fiat currency. Transactions settle in roughly 200 milliseconds using USD Coin (USDC) on Ethereum's Base layer-2 network and on Solana (SOL). The infrastructure relies on Coinbase's x402 protocol, an open standard based on the HTTP 402 "Payment Required" response code, and uses wallet technology from Privy, a firm Stripe acquired in 2025. Coinbase said the protocol has already processed more than 169 million machine-native payments across 590,000 buyers and 100,000 sellers. Preethi CN, director of AgentCore at AWS, said the platform is built to support multiple payment frameworks without requiring developers to rebuild agents as standards change. AWS said the initial release focuses on micropayments for APIs, AI tools, and paywalled content, with future versions potentially covering flight bookings, hotel reservations, and merchant purchases. The launch follows a similar service introduced the prior week