Block Brings Bitcoin Lightning Network into AI Payment Standard x402
Block has integrated the Bitcoin Lightning Network into the x402 protocol, allowing AI agents to settle payments over Lightning under the machine payment standard—expanding settlement asset options beyond stablecoins.
Block Integrates Lightning Network into x402
Payment company Block has announced that it has integrated the Bitcoin Lightning Network into the x402 protocol, enabling AI agents to settle transactions via Lightning under the machine payment standard. x402 is a machine payment protocol built on the HTTP 402 status code, which previously primarily supported stablecoin settlement. According to Block, the integration allows agents to directly initiate and receive Lightning Network payments within the x402 flow.
The Lightning Network is Bitcoin's Layer 2 payment network, designed for low fees and fast confirmation, making it suitable for high-frequency, small-value scenarios. Block is led by Jack Dorsey and owns the Square payments business and Cash App.
Bringing Bitcoin into agent payment rails means that the choice of settlement assets for machine-to-machine payments is expanding beyond stablecoins as a single option. However, different assets follow different paths for pre-settlement compliance screening, attribution, and non-repudiation.
Source: https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMidkFVX3lxTE1SaVNNYlhHSGdKd25CamxxMGkybDhqZktiVzBrbGFlZkhYMjRVRVVmTm1UYjNBa0lBQ0d2ZXd1MlRUcERVN3RSSHlPZWRqRFdYaFFPdnF0dGVydldia1VtcEx3QUxWa2xiNE1feXZYandBWGdSZFE?oc=5
Provenance & status
- Byline
- OceanAlt Editorial
- First published
- 2026-09-25
- Last updated
- 2026-09-25
- Content type
- Newsflash
- Source material
- View original ↗
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