TL;DR
- Circle and OpenMind will launch the x402 micropayment protocol using USDC, enabling machine-to-machine payments in automated, permissionless transactions.
- OpenMind will integrate AI into autonomous robots and join an ecosystem with AWS, Anthropic, and NEAR to build a machine economy with automated payment flows.
- USDC will be a central element in the strategy, enabling fast payments, DEX trading, and micropayment settlement.
Circle partnered with OpenMind to launch an x402 micropayment protocol for AI agents, using USDC as the base currency. The system allows machine-to-machine payments in automated, permissionless transactions.
The x402 protocol will enable agents to pay for services and content in real time, including deep research tasks. OpenMind will integrate its AI tools into autonomous robots and has already signed a preliminary agreement with Coinbase to use x402. The company joins an ecosystem that includes AWS, Anthropic, and NEAR, aiming to build a machine economy with automated payment flows.
Circle Moves to Compete with Coinbase and Other Crypto Companies
OpenMind raised over $20 million in funding, led by Pantera Capital and Amber Group, with an additional investment from Pi Network. The company is still in its early stages and has yet to demonstrate operational use of USDC, but the partnership with Circle gives it access to a widely adopted and regulated asset.
Circle provides its Gateway tool for instant USDC transfers across EVM and non-EVM blockchains, with a focus on Solana. The infrastructure ensures reliability and liquidity in agentic payments, enabling fast and secure transactions between autonomous agents.
The x402 protocol has emerged in recent months as a high-performance standard for automated payments. Payments between machines remain experimental, and competitors like Google Cloud and several crypto companies are working toward a common standard to enable payment flows between intelligent agents.
USDC as a Core Component
USDC will be a key part of this strategy. With over 77.2 billion tokens issued and steady growth, primarily on Solana, the stablecoin enables fast payments, DEX trading, and micropayment settlement within autonomous ecosystems, providing security and predictability.
The Circle–OpenMind partnership aims to create a machine economy where AI and robotics interact through automated, reliable payments. If successfully implemented, the x402 protocol could become the reference standard for micropayments between autonomous agents, delivering efficiency, security, and scalability for the financial infrastructure of the future
