Ripple has introduced tools that allow AI clients to use XRP and RLUSD for payments as USDC continues to dominate activity on the fast-growing x402 automated payment network.
summary
- Ripple has launched the XRPL AI Starter Kit, enabling AI agents to use XRP and RLUSD for automated payments through the x402 protocol.
- USDC remains the dominant asset in x402 payments, with over 120 million cumulative transactions and over $41 million in settled volume.
- Ripple is expanding adoption of RLUSD through Mastercard’s stablecoin settlement network and cross-border payment infrastructure powered by MXNB.
According to Ripple this week Released XRPL AI Starter Kit, a developer toolkit designed to help software agents send, receive and manage payments on the XRP Ledger with limited human involvement.
The launch adds support for x402 payments using XRP and Ripple USD (RLUSD), putting Ripple in a market where stablecoin-based transactions currently account for most activity.
The initial release includes access to the XRPL Docs MCP server, which allows AI applications such as Claude Code, Claude Desktop, Cursor, and custom proxy frameworks to retrieve XRP Ledger documents when needed. Ripple has also introduced wallet and payment tools for Cloud that support wallet creation, balance checking, and tracking of transactions and payments.
AI agents are already being used to pay for computing resources, settle invoices and complete transactions, Ripple said. Current payment systems are built on human approvals and settlement processes, making them less suitable for standalone software that needs to automatically settle transactions, the company said.
USDC is currently leading the x402 payment activity
The data cited by Ripple highlights the challenge facing XRP and RLUSD as they enter the emerging automated payments sector.
The x402 protocol was originally developed by Coinbase and is now maintained by the Linux Foundation’s x402 Foundation. Using the HTTP 402 “Payment Required” response code, the system allows software agents to make blockchain payments directly within standard web requests. An agent can request a paid service, receive a payment request, send an on-chain transaction, and then follow up on the request with proof of payment.
According to Chainali analysis a report Published in early June, x402 activity on Base increased from almost zero in mid-2025 to more than 100 million cumulative transactions during the first quarter of 2026. Chainalysis noted that part of the sharp increase recorded in late 2025 was related to PING, a paid-for meme coin project that generated speculative transaction activity.
additional numbers From Web3 Trackers showing over 120 million cumulative x402 transactions and over $41 million USDC settled volume. The core accounts represented approximately 70 million transactions with a volume of $21.5 million, while Solana processed approximately 45 million transactions with a volume of $16.4 million. The dashboard also indicates that the average payment size is around five cents.
Against this backdrop, Ripple is touting XRP Ledger settlement times of three to five seconds, predictable transaction costs, native escrow features, multi-signature support, and a built-in decentralized exchange as advantages for automated payments.
Ripple is expanding payment infrastructure beyond AI tools
Alongside the AI-focused rollout, Ripple has continued to add payment infrastructure tied to RLUSD and the XRP Ledger.
As previously reported by crypto.news, Mastercard recently Fired An AI-powered payments network powered by more than 30 companies, including Ripple, Coinbase, and the Solana Foundation.
MasterCard too RLUSD added To its stablecoin settlement infrastructure, which supports settlements across networks including Ethereum, Solana, Polygon, Base, Arbitrum, Canton, Tempo, and XRP Ledger.
Elsewhere, Ripple Built-in Bitso stablecoin backed by the Mexican peso MXNB in its enterprise payments network. According to Ripple, MXNB and RLUSD will support liquidity and settlement for regulated transactions between the US and Mexico using blockchain-based payment paths.
Questions remain about adoption. Ripple has not disclosed any production deployments, transaction volumes, or specific customers using XRP or RLUSD for AI agent payments.
At the same time, academic researchers to caution That x402 introduces additional risks around payment authorization, proof validation, and synchronization between web services and blockchain transactions, creates technical hurdles that developers must address as machine-to-machine payments expand.
