"AI agent (software that uses artificial intelligence to achieve goals and perform tasks on behalf of a user)" is drawing attention as a potential next-generation transaction system by autonomously executing contracts, payments, and settlements using stablecoins.
On the 2nd, according to the virtual asset industry, Coinbase, the largest virtual asset exchange in the United States, said that the "x402 Foundation" it established last year processed about 75 million transactions last month. That is about 30 per second. The total transaction size was about $24 million (about 35.5 billion won), with an average payment amount of about 32 cents (about 450 won) per transaction.
Under the x402 protocol (Protocol, a set of rules agreed upon to exchange data between computers), the AI agent becomes the payment principal. When a buyer instructs the AI agent to perform a task requesting payment, the AI agent pays using dollar stablecoins loaded into a dedicated wallet.
More than 40 corporations, including Google, Visa, Mastercard, Amazon Web Services, and Ripple, have joined the x402 Foundation. In Korea, three companies are participating: Kakao Pay(377300), GalaxiaMoneytree(094480), and Hecto Financial(234340).
The intermediary that connects buyers and sellers is called a facilitator, and Kakao Pay and GalaxiaMoneytree will take on that role. The facilitator checks whether the buyer has enough stablecoins to cover the payment and manages the entire process until settlement is completed. In this process, the buyer pays the gas fee (a network fee paid to participants who record and verify data) to the facilitator.
AI agents can operate even while people are asleep, allowing quick payment for limited-edition items or flash-sale items. However, there is a risk of paying for the wrong item. Experts advise against giving AI agents full payment authority and recommend that a person must check and approve at the final purchase stage.
In Korea, institutional arrangements have not been finalized on whether virtual assets can be used as a means of payment. The legal liability rules for autonomous payments by AI agents have not even begun to be discussed. The Ministry of Science and ICT has begun work to establish legal standards clarifying where responsibility lies for fraudulent payments by AI agents and is conducting technical verification through the AI Safety Research Institute.