With artificial intelligence now integral to both daily life and business, how will value be exchanged in this new era? Google’s answer: stablecoins.

On September 16 (UTC), Google unveiled a new open-source payment protocol that sets a unified standard for value transfer across artificial intelligence applications. This protocol supports both traditional payment methods—like credit and debit cards—and, for the first time, integrates stablecoins directly into its infrastructure.

Partnering with Coinbase, the Ethereum Foundation, and other leading crypto organizations, Google has intensified its commitment to stablecoin adoption, targeting challenges such as cross-border payments, efficient settlements, and robust value transmission for AI Agents. James Tromans, Head of Google Cloud Web3, told Fortune, “From the outset, we built this system with both current payment channels and emerging options like stablecoins in mind.”

Google is making a strategic shift—from engaging the crypto sector indirectly through advertising policies or cloud node hosting, to directly incorporating stablecoins within its product architecture. The company is now exploring practical use cases for stablecoins within the AI ecosystem.

Google Rolls Out AI Payment Protocol, Making Stablecoins the Core

According to official reports, more than 60 organizations—including leaders in technology, finance, e-commerce, and the cryptocurrency sector—participated in the protocol’s development. The partnership with Coinbase is considered pivotal: as one of the most compliant U.S. crypto exchanges, Coinbase has extensive experience with stablecoins, and its joint efforts with Circle have established USDC as a mainstream stablecoin.

The protocol’s design ensures interoperability between traditional payment networks and the next wave of digital transaction solutions. In practice, this means AI agents can transact using either credit cards or execute real-time settlements via stablecoins. This hybrid payment model positions Google to build a sustainable foundation for AI-to-AI payments.

The integration of stablecoins is especially noteworthy. Unlike highly volatile assets such as Bitcoin, stablecoins are pegged to fiat currencies like the U.S. dollar, offering a reliable value anchor for automated transactions and minimizing risk. For AI agents facilitating frequent cross-border payments or microservices, stablecoins deliver rapid, low-cost settlement.

Nevertheless, making stablecoins the centerpiece of AI-driven payments presents major hurdles. Regulatory fragmentation is chief among them: while U.S. oversight of stablecoins is becoming clearer, global compliance remains complex and inconsistent. Varying rules on issuance, circulation, and clearing across jurisdictions pose significant barriers for truly global, automated AI payments.

Technical security and risk management are equally critical. Autonomous AI payments demand exceptional on-chain security and rigorous smart contract audits; any vulnerability could lead to irreversible losses. Building systems that balance efficiency with robust safeguards against AML and fraud prevention will be an ongoing challenge for Google and its partners.

User adoption, education costs, and the need for granular permission and risk controls as AI agents gain direct payment capabilities add further complexity to the rollout of this next-generation payment solution.

Collaboration & Standardization: The Inevitable Path Forward

Google is extending its AI Agent ecosystem strategy with this protocol.

Earlier this year, Google released a unified communication protocol that enabled interoperability between AI agents from different companies. With payments now integrated, AI interactions are evolving beyond data exchange to facilitate digital value transfer.

To guarantee interoperability and compliance, Google has teamed up with Coinbase as well as industry giants like Salesforce and American Express. The involvement of crypto-native entities such as the Ethereum Foundation ensures technical scalability and security for stablecoin and on-chain payments.

Sui and EigenCloud are among the inaugural protocol partners. Sui, developed by Mysten Labs, delivers sub-second programmable payment capability, enhanced by Walrus decentralized storage, Move smart contracts, and zkLogin identity privacy. This infrastructure enables rapid, privacy-protected value exchange for AI agents. EigenCloud, focusing on verifiability, ensures all AI agent activities can be recorded, validated, and audited for accountability.

This cross-industry collaboration shows a fundamental reality: no single company can dictate the future of AI and payments. Instead, standardized protocols are essential to connect diverse participants and systems. Google stresses that the protocol’s mission is not to supplant current payment networks, but to expand and enhance them—enabling AI agents to access a broad array of payment options.

Industry Outlook & Summary

From a broader perspective, the Google-Coinbase partnership signals accelerating convergence between AI and crypto finance.

As AI agents proliferate across shopping, portfolio management, content production, and more, payment demands are shifting toward seamless, automated, micro-transactions across borders and platforms.

Stablecoins are emerging as the natural solution. Their global reach, instant settlement, programmable capabilities, and cost advantages make them uniquely suited for AI-to-AI transactions. From cross-border payments to automated smart contract executions, stablecoins can outperform legacy payment systems in efficiency and scalability.

This is why major players like Shopify, Meta, and Apple have begun integrating stablecoin solutions. With U.S. regulatory environments evolving toward greater flexibility, stablecoins are moving from crypto-market niche to foundational infrastructure for global payments and the AI economy.

In sum, Google’s protocol launch marks the beginning of a new era of global payments. If AI-to-AI transactions become commonplace, stablecoins may well become the default medium of exchange. For the cryptocurrency industry, this represents a pivotal adoption opportunity and signals a possible paradigm shift in payment logic over the next decade.

Statement:

1. This article is republished from [Foresight News]. Copyright remains with the original author [ChandlerZ, Foresight News]. For any concerns regarding reproduction, please contact the Gate Learn team, which will address inquiries in accordance with established procedures.
2. Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed are those of the author and do not constitute investment advice.
3. All other language versions are translated by the Gate Learn team and may not be reproduced, distributed, or plagiarized without proper reference to Gate.