Coinbase has unveiled a new infrastructure product that allows artificial intelligence agents to hold and manage crypto wallets independently. According to a blog post , the company aims to remove one of the biggest limitations facing AI systems today. While agents can analyze data and suggest actions, they cannot execute financial transactions without human approval. Consequently, many automated workflows still rely on manual intervention. Coinbase now seeks to close that gap by introducing Agentic Wallets, a system designed to let AI agents spend, trade, and earn autonomously within predefined limits. The company explained that modern agents already assist with research, trading insights, and API discovery. However, they stall at payment checkpoints. Besides recommending a DeFi trade, they cannot execute it. They can identify a required service, yet they cannot pay for access. Hence, Coinbase believes the next stage of AI development requires direct financial capability powered by crypto rails. Built for Autonomous Financial Operations Agentic Wallets build on Coinbase’s earlier AgentKit framework. However, the new system introduces purpose-built infrastructure for machine-driven finance. Developers can integrate pre-configured skills such as authenticate, fund, send, trade, and earn. Additionally, Coinbase enables gasless trading on Base, which allows agents to operate continuously without network fee interruptions. At the core of the system sits the x402 protocol. Significantly, the protocol supports machine-to-machine payments and automated API access. Coinbase reported that x402 has processed more than 50 million transactions since launch. Moreover, the company released version 2.0 in December to expand compatibility with traditional payment systems. In September, Coinbase and Cloudflare formed the x402 Foundation to promote broader adoption. The infrastructure also includes a command-line tool that helps developers activate wallet functions quickly. Hence, teams can deploy financial capabilities to agents within minutes. Security Controls and Compliance Layers Coinbase emphasized that autonomy does not mean unrestricted spending. The system incorporates programmable guardrails that define session caps and transaction limits. Moreover, secure enclaves protect private keys within Coinbase’s infrastructure. Agents cannot access sensitive credentials directly. Additionally, the platform integrates Know Your Transaction screening to block high-risk activity automatically. The broader Coinbase Developer Platform provides monitoring, authentication, and usage analytics through a dedicated portal.
