Alchemy Launches USDC Payment System for Autonomous AI Agents

Blockchain infrastructure company Alchemy has launched a new system that allows autonomous AI agents to access its blockchain data services and purchase compute credits directly using onchain wallets and USDC on the Base network. Initially, agents can query blockchain networks, check NFT ownership, view balances across chains, and access live token prices, with plans to expand services. If an agent exhausts its prepaid credits, Alchemy triggers an automatic payment request settled in USDC on Base, ensuring continuous operation without human intervention. This functionality is powered by Coinbase’s x402 payment standard, which converts an HTTP “402 Payment Required” response into an automated billing trigger, facilitating machine-to-machine transactions. Alchemy CEO Nikil Viswanathan stated this infrastructure is designed for developers building autonomous DeFi agents and portfolio management bots, effectively giving the emerging agentic economy its own autonomous payment keys.

(Source：Cointelegraph)