Block announced on Thursday that it has joined the x402 Foundation and added Bitcoin Lightning support to the x402 payment protocol for AI agents.

Block: Lightning is suitable for low-cost, high-volume payments

The company stated that Lightning fits the low-fee, high-transaction model that agent-based commerce will rely on. “Bringing Lightning to x402 is a concrete step toward making Bitcoin everyday money for people and the agents acting on their behalf, and we’re excited to help the industry build on it,” said Steve Lee, head of Block’s Bitcoin development initiative Spiral.

x402 enables AI agents and web services to pay autonomously

x402 is an open payment standard that allows AI agents and web services to autonomously pay for access to APIs, data, and digital services.

x402 Foundation launched in April under the Linux Foundation

Backers of the foundation include Google, Microsoft, Amazon Web Services, as well as crypto companies such as Coinbase and Solana Foundation. The x402 Foundation was launched in April as part of the Linux Foundation.

Step continues Block’s involvement in Universal Commerce Protocol

According to the company, this move builds on its participation in the Universal Commerce Protocol, an initiative aimed at bringing AI commerce to small businesses.