# Atom Adds Coinbase x402 Payments for AI-Agent Domain Registrations By Simon Yoon Canonical URL: https://www.tokenpost.com/news/technology/42299 Published: 2026-10-28T03:30:41.000Z Updated: 2026-10-28T03:30:41.000Z Section: Technology > Buyers approve each USD Coin payment before an agent signs an authorization. The new route currently covers new registrations, with premium listings planned later. Atom has added an x402 checkout using USD Coin (USDC) on Base for AI agents registering domains, adding a crypto payment route that requires buyer approval before funds are settled. USD Coin is a dollar-backed stablecoin, a digital token used for payments. Checkout runs through Coinbase Business. Before payment is authorized, the agent displays the domain’s price, fees and authorization expiration, then asks the buyer to approve. After approval, the agent signs a payment authorization, so the buyer does not submit a separate onchain transaction. Atom captures funds only after registration succeeds; a failed registration does not complete payment. Atom’s demonstration of Coinbase Business checkout showed an agent registering austastic.xyz for 1.80 USDC. Atom described the division of roles this way: “The agent handles the search. The buyer stays in control of the money.” The buyer’s approval comes before the agent signs the authorization. Coinbase’s x402 protocol carries payment terms through HTTP, the request-and-response system websites use. A service presents its terms, then checks and settles a signed authorization returned through the exchange. In Atom’s flow, the terms include the price, fees and authorization expiration. The process does not require the buyer to send a separate onchain transaction, and registration success determines when Atom captures the payment. Agent purchases were already available on Atom through cards. On Sept. 16, the company introduced a separate card-based flow using Stripe’s Machine Payments Protocol (MPP), covering new registrations and premium marketplace domains. The x402 route currently applies to new registrations, with premium listings planned for later. That leaves the new crypto option with a narrower selection than Atom’s earlier card flow. Other agent-payment products include [Celo Core Co.’s marketplace for agents to buy computing, data and API services](). Atom’s next planned expansion for x402 is support for premium marketplace listings. ## Links in this article - [Celo Core Co.’s marketplace for agents to buy computing, data and API services](https://www.tokenpost.com/news/technology/31263)