Coinbase has introduced Agentic Wallets, a new type of crypto wallet built specifically for artificial intelligence agents.
The announcement was published on the company’s Developer Platform blog this week and marks a shift in how automated systems interact with blockchain networks.
Until now, AI agents have largely been limited to analysing information, generating recommendations, or triggering alerts.
Even when integrated with trading systems, they still required a human to confirm transactions.
Coinbase’s new wallet framework is designed to remove that dependency, allowing AI systems to hold funds and execute on-chain transactions independently within defined limits.
This expands the operational scope of AI from insight generation to direct financial execution.
The next unlock for AI agents just launched.
@CoinbaseDev released agentic wallets, the first wallet infrastructure designed for AI agents.
Now agents can spend, earn, and trade autonomously and securely.
x402 protocol enables machine payments
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At the core of the new system is the x402 protocol, a payments standard developed to enable machines to send and receive value programmatically.
Coinbase said the protocol has already processed more than 50 million transactions.
The protocol is structured to integrate payments directly into software logic. This allows AI agents to initiate transfers, interact with smart contracts, and settle blockchain transactions automatically.
Instead of pausing for manual approval at each step, an AI system can complete actions as part of a programmed workflow.
By embedding payment capabilities into automated systems, Coinbase is building infrastructure for machine-to-machine financial activity.
This could allow software agents to transact with one another as part of digital services, marketplaces, subscription models, or decentralised applications operating across blockchain ecosystems.
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Developers can set up and fund Agentic Wallets in minutes using Coinbase’s command-line tools.
The wallets come preloaded with built-in functions such as sending funds, trading tokens, and earning yield. This removes the need for developers to build complex blockchain integrations from scratch.
The wallets also support gasless trading on Base, Coinbase’s Layer-2 network.
Base allows transactions to be executed without the agent directly managing network fees.
This reduces the risk that an AI system becomes unable to operate because it runs out of gas during autonomous activity.
It also simplifies cost management for developers deploying AI-driven financial services.
These features are intended to support continuous, automated operations in decentralised finance markets and other blockchain environments.
Guardrails, compliance, and secure custody
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Coinbase states that autonomous operation does not mean unrestricted access.
Agentic Wallets include programmable guardrails that allow users to set session caps and transaction limits.
These restrictions define how much an AI agent can spend and under what circumstances it can execute transactions.
Private keys remain stored within Coinbase’s secure infrastructure rather than being exposed to the AI system itself.
The wallets also integrate compliance screening tools that are designed to identify and block high-risk actions before they are completed.
These measures aim to balance automation with risk controls in regulated financial environments.
With these safeguards in place, AI agents could monitor DeFi yields, rebalance portfolios automatically, pay for APIs or computing resources, and participate in digital economies without direct human confirmation.
Coinbase positions Agentic Wallets as infrastructure for a financial system in which AI systems move beyond advisory roles and become direct participants in blockchain-based markets.
