Coinbase Gives AI Agents Their Own Financial Identity With Agentic Wallets
Last updated on February 15th, 2026 at 04:50 pm
No matter where you look, there is news about AI everywhere… and make no mistake, things are moving fast!
The frontier of artificial intelligence is rapidly evolving from advisory tools to autonomous agents capable of independent action… and it only makes sense that crypto will be an integral part of this independent action.
Coinbase has taken a decisive step into this new era by launching Agentic Wallets.
These wallets are the first infrastructure specifically designed to give AI agents their own financial identity and autonomy.
But this move is not just a product launch… it’s a foundational shift for AI agents.
By providing this necessary change to the financial plumbing, Coinbase is leading the way for this new “machine economy” to flourish on the blockchain.
AI Agents Are Financially Handcuffed
Today’s AI agents are powerful at analysis and recommendation, but they are fundamentally limited when it comes to execution.
As we’ve already seen, these agents can identify a profitable DeFi yield opportunity for example, however they cannot execute the trade… or they’re able to find a necessary API, but they cannot pay for access.
The current state of the agentic economy requires human approval in every financial decision.
This creates a bottleneck that prevents true autonomy.
However, Coinbase’s new Agentic Wallets are designed to break this constraint by giving agents the ability to hold, spend, and earn money independently, using the speed and programmability of the crypto rails.
Plug-and-Play Autonomy
These new Agentic Wallets offer developers a streamlined, secure way to grant financial capabilities to any AI agent.
The system is built around several key innovations:
* Plug-and-Play Skills: Developers can instantly add financial functions like “Send,” “Trade,” and “Earn” to their agents using a pre-built library, eliminating the need to code complex on-chain transactions from scratch.
* Gasless Operations on Base: Agents run on Coinbase’s Base Layer 2, ensuring they never stall due to network fees, enabling 24/7 autonomous operation.
* Enterprise-Grade Security: Autonomy is balanced with control. Wallets include programmable spending limits (session caps, per-transaction ceilings), private keys are secured in Coinbase’s enclaves, and built-in KYT screening automatically blocks high-risk interactions.
* Rapid Deployment: Using the `npx awal` command-line tool, developers can spin up a fully functional agent wallet in under two minutes.
Let’s Explain This Tech
So, I don’t know about you… but I’m no coder, or AI developer… so I need things explained to me in simple terms.
Let me try to explain some of the technical terms that were just thrown at us…
The security features within these Agentic Wallets are designed to prevent real-world failures.
In the above point that relates to security, we see a couple of terms that should be outlined.
The first is “enclaves.”
An enclave is a form of hardware-based security, similar to the secure chips in your smartphone that store your fingerprint or passcode.
So in the case of these wallets, the agent’s private keys are stored in a secure, isolated environment that the agent itself cannot access.
This means even if the AI’s code is compromised, the hacker cannot steal the funds.
If you want to learn more about private keys, you can do that here.
Unfortunately, for those of us who have spent any appreciable time crypto know the term KYC or Know Your Customer… this next item is similar to that… if for some strange reason you’re not already familiar with KYC, you can learn more here.
The next piece of built in security is called KYT or Know Your Transaction.
In short, this built in screening tool acts like an automated fraud detector.
For example, if an agent tries to send funds to a known scam address, or a wallet flagged for illicit activity, the transaction is automatically blocked before it can be completed.
This provides an additional layer of protection for the agent and its owner.
The next piece of the puzzle when it comes to these wallets is a command that is designed to help developers, of varying skill levels, complete the set-up process.
The `npx awal` tool is designed for speed and simplicity. Think of it like a command-line version of a “one-click install” for agent wallets.
So, instead of spending hours configuring wallets, setting up security, and connecting to a blockchain… a developer can open their terminal, type `npx awal`, and be guided through a simple, step-by-step process.
In under two minutes, they have a fully funded, secure wallet ready for their agent to start trading or paying for services.
This dramatically lowers the barrier to entry, allowing developers to focus on building innovative applications rather than managing infrastructure.
The Machine Economy & The x402 Protocol
At the heart of this new infrastructure is the x402 protocol. This is an open standard for machine-to-machine payments.
So, what is x402?
Let’s explain by way of an example…
Imagine that an agent needs to access a premium weather data API to optimize a supply chain.
With the x402 protocol, the agent can discover the service, negotiate the price, and pay for it instantly… all without the need of a human.
The payment is embedded directly into the HTTP request, making the transaction seamless and invisible to the human user.
Ultimately, this protocol is the key to unlocking a “machine economy,” where agents can pay for their own compute, access APIs, and participate in creator economies without human oversight.
As of this writing, there are over 50 million transactions already processed. Major players like Google and Visa are already building on the standard.
The bottom line is, the x402 protocol is positioned to become the universal payment language for all autonomous agents.
Watch BC PortCorp, Crypto Badel and I as we discuss Ai, its future, and what it means for humanity:
The Future of The Agentic Economy
Coinbase is definitely trying to lead the way when it comes to crypto, and the agentic economy.
Their vision is to move from AI agents from agents that just advise, to agents that can act.
This wallet launch is a strategic bet on a future where autonomous systems manage complex financial tasks, rebalance portfolios in real-time, and create entirely new economic models.
As CEO Brian Armstrong stated, “The next unlock for AI agents just launched.”
The introduction of Agentic Wallets provides the essential infrastructure for this future… to transform AI to a more helpful assistant, into a more powerful, more independent economic actor on the blockchain.
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