Ripple Launches AI Agent Payment Tools for XRP, RLUSD

March 18, 2025 — Ripple has released a developer toolkit enabling artificial intelligence agents to process payments using XRP and RLUSD, entering a machine-payment market where USDC currently dominates with over 120 million cumulative transactions and $41 million in settled volume.

Immediate Details & Direct Quotes

Ripple announced the XRPL AI Starter Kit this week, a developer toolkit designed to let software agents send, receive, and manage payments on the XRP Ledger with limited human intervention. The launch adds support for x402 payments using XRP and Ripple USD (RLUSD), positioning Ripple in a sector where stablecoin-based transactions account for most activity.

The initial release includes the XRPL Docs MCP Server, allowing AI applications such as Claude Code, Claude Desktop, Cursor, and custom agent frameworks to retrieve XRP Ledger documentation when needed. Ripple also introduced wallet and payment tools for Claude that support wallet creation, balance checks, transaction tracking, and payments.

According to Ripple, AI agents are already being used to pay for computing resources, settle invoices, and complete transactions. The company argued that existing payment systems were built around human approvals and reconciliation processes, making them less suitable for autonomous software that needs transactions to settle automatically.

Market Context & Reaction

Ripple’s announcement highlights the challenge facing XRP and RLUSD as they enter the emerging machine-payment sector. The x402 protocol, originally developed by Coinbase and now maintained by the Linux Foundation’s x402 Foundation, uses the HTTP 402 “Payment Required” response code to allow software agents to make blockchain payments directly within standard web requests.

A Chainalysis report published in early June reveals x402 activity on Base increased from near 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 linked to PING, a pay-to-mint meme coin project that generated speculative transaction activity.

Additional figures from Web3 Trackers show more than 120 million cumulative x402 transactions and over $41 million in settled USDC volume. Base accounts for roughly 70 million transactions and $21.5 million in volume, while Solana has processed about 45 million transactions worth $16.4 million. The dashboard also reports an average payment size of approximately five cents.

Ripple is promoting the XRP Ledger’s three-to-five-second settlement times, predictable transaction costs, native escrow features, multisignature support, and built-in decentralized exchange as advantages for automated payments. However, Ripple did not disclose any production-scale deployments, transaction volumes, or named customers using XRP or RLUSD for AI-agent payments.

Background & Historical Context

Alongside the AI-focused rollout, Ripple has continued adding payment infrastructure tied to RLUSD and the XRP Ledger. Mastercard recently launched an AI payments network backed by more than 30 companies, including Ripple, Coinbase, and the Solana Foundation. Mastercard also added RLUSD to its stablecoin settlement infrastructure, which supports settlements across networks including Ethereum, Solana, Polygon, Base, Arbitrum, Canton, Tempo, and the XRP Ledger.

Ripple has also integrated Bitso’s Mexican peso-backed stablecoin MXNB into its enterprise payments network. According to Ripple, MXNB and RLUSD will support liquidity and settlement for regulated transactions between the United States and Mexico using blockchain-based payment rails.

Academic researchers have warned that x402 introduces additional risks around payment authorization, proof validation, and synchronization between web services and blockchain transactions, creating technical hurdles that developers must address as machine-to-machine payments expand.

What This Means

Ripple’s entry into AI agent payments signals a strategic push to capture a share of the growing machine-payment market, currently dominated by USDC on Base and Solana. The XRP Ledger’s fast settlement times and built-in features could appeal to developers building autonomous payment systems.

Success will depend on adoption metrics that Ripple has not yet disclosed. The company must demonstrate real-world use cases beyond the initial toolkit release to compete with established x402 infrastructure on competing networks.

Traders and developers should monitor x402 transaction volumes on XRP Ledger in coming months as a measure of adoption. Regulatory developments around stablecoins and machine payments could also influence market dynamics. As always, conduct your own research before making investment decisions based on these developments.

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