Payouts.com and Casper Association Launch x402 Protocol for AI Agent Payments

Payment service provider Payouts.com and the Casper Association this week jointly announced the launch of the x402 protocol, a machine-to-machine (M2M) payment protocol built on the HTTP 402 status code, designed to provide standardized settlement for transactions initiated by AI agents. According to the joint statement, the protocol will support stablecoin settlement and is slated for initial deployment on the Casper blockchain.

The x402 protocol focuses on providing verifiable payment authorization for AI agents, with compliance controls such as authorization intent, per-transaction limits, and daily transaction frequency caps. Payouts.com will be the first payment service provider (PSP) to integrate the protocol, offering fiat on- and off-ramps for agent payments, while the Casper Association will oversee open-source governance and standard evolution.

This collaboration marks another attempt to bridge traditional payment networks with blockchain infrastructure within the x402 ecosystem. As AI agents gain traction in cross-border settlements and recurring billing, pre-transaction screening—verifying the payer, payee, and whether the transaction is authorized—has become a growing industry concern. Both parties said they will onboard additional payment service providers in the future and plan to test the protocol in regulatory sandboxes.

Source: https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMinAFBVV95cUxPTFFod1FsSXMxcnJvUE4tQ2FacFdtRURzcXYwNW5TdHNfMkZBUmVZZjF3TGtaT0t4YlpqUGlNUTZIYnVGVXBLLWQtcXlYak9zeVI0eng4SmFEVHVZREhUWnVzN3RTeTBPTjJmNVdscUI2NGgzbUFUUGRYUTc1MjNZbG5TYm9aUHJtREFfZkJlQS1qbkg2UzYzdUlXX1I?oc=5