Block Boosts Bitcoin Lightning Support for AI-Powered Commerce
Block has expanded its payment tools for AI agents by adding Bitcoin Lightning support to the x402 payment protocol. The move is part of Block's effort to build everyday money for people and their AI representatives. Steve Lee, who heads Block's Bitcoin development initiative Spiral, said that bringing Lightning to x402 'is a concrete step toward making Bitcoin everyday money'.
x402 is an open payment standard that allows AI agents and web services to pay for digital services on their own without human approval. The addition of Lightning gives x402 a low-cost, high-volume Bitcoin-based rail that meets the needs of autonomous commerce. Block joins other companies like Google, Microsoft, Amazon Web Services, Coinbase, and the Solana Foundation in backing the x402 Foundation.
The move builds on Block's work with the Universal Commerce Protocol, which aims to help small businesses participate in AI-driven commerce. Both initiatives are part of a broader goal: building payment infrastructure for autonomous software to use directly.