Cardano Integrates x402 and Takes the First Step Toward AI-Powered Payments

The Cardano network has begun integrating the x402 payment standard, designed to enable AI agents to conduct blockchain transactions without human ￰0￱ announcement came from the Masumi team, which is developing the Cardano-based infrastructure and implementing x402 ￰1￱ initially by Coinbase and expanded with partners across the web ecosystem, x402 revives the idea of automated internet micropayments, allowing bots and AI agents to handle payments on-chain independently. “This is very big for cardano,” said Charles Hoskinson, co-founder of the blockchain, in a post on ￰2￱ to Masumi, the x402 standard enables HTTP-based payment requests and allows AI agents to: Pay for resources and services via API Perform transactions with ADA and USDM Interact with other AI systems without intermediaries Masumi has enhanced x402 with a trust layer — integrating identity, reputation, transparent auditing, and refund ￰3￱ framework could transform Cardano into the financial backbone of an “agent economy”, where autonomous systems trade, collaborate, and pay each other ￰4￱ of Concept and DeFi Automation A Proof-of-Concept is already active: users can mint a test memecoin by paying 2 USDM and a small amount of ￰5￱ team believes this integration could automate DeFi protocols, from token swaps to lending and staking, all without direct user interaction with smart ￰6￱ is significant, as Cardano’s DeFi ecosystem still trails behind ￰7￱ to DefiLlama, Cardano’s current market cap stands at $36.2 billion, with $290.4 million in locked DeFi liquidity and $36.2 million in ￰8￱ comparison, Ethereum and Tron hold $163 billion and $79 billion in stablecoins ￰9￱ has repeatedly criticized the Cardano Foundation for the slow DeFi rollout despite $15 million in 2024 marketing spend, including a sponsorship deal with FC ￰10￱ October 2025, the Cardano community approved an additional $33 million in ADA to boost stablecoin liquidity for DeFi ￰11￱ is now testing x402 on smart contracts and offering users a public demo to refine the standard’s real-world mechanics.

What’s Next for Cardano The x402 integration is part of the Cardano Foundation’s updated roadmap, which also includes: Implementation of CIP-0113 and CIP-0143 standards Adoption of a new payment framework Expanded support for DeFi and Web3 startups A 12% marketing budget increase planned for 2026 If successful, Cardano could become the first major blockchain to create a functional AI-driven transaction network, bridging the gap between autonomous systems and decentralized finance.