Block Joins x402 Foundation, Brings Bitcoin Lightning Support

Block, the company led by Jack Dorsey, has joined the x402 Foundation and contributed Bitcoin Lightning support to the open payment protocol. This move aims to expand agentic commerce capabilities, enabling low-cost, high-volume transactions.

The integration of Bitcoin Lightning into x402 will allow for faster settlement and lower costs compared to traditional payment methods. Block's contribution is part of its work on agentic commerce, with Steve Lee, head of Block's Bitcoin development initiative Spiral, stating that agents 'will make billions of small payments,' requiring payment rails designed for frequent, inexpensive transactions.

x402 has already seen substantial activity from existing payment methods, with 75.41 million transactions and $24.24 million in volume over the past 30 days. However, most of this activity comes from stablecoins, with Circle's USDC accounting for 99.3% of x402 payment volume.

The addition of Bitcoin Lightning as a payment option is expected to provide developers with more flexibility and options for agentic payments. Block will continue to contribute to the development of Lightning support and participate in x402 Foundation working groups.