Block Bolsters x402 with Bitcoin Lightning Support for AI-Driven Payments

Block has added Bitcoin Lightning support to its x402 payment protocol as part of an expansion aimed at facilitating automated micropayments for AI agents.

The move brings Block in line with other supporters of the x402 Foundation, including Google, Microsoft, Amazon Web Services, Coinbase, and the Solana Foundation.

Steve Lee, head of Block's Bitcoin development initiative Spiral, notes that Bitcoin Lightning is well-suited to the low-cost, high-volume transactions expected in agentic commerce, which aims to enable AI agents to autonomously pay for digital services such as API access and data.