Google and Coinbase Partner to Enable Stablecoin Payments in AI Apps

Google is expanding its AI protocol to include stablecoin payments, teaming up with Coinbase (COIN) and the Ethereum (ETH) Foundation to connect digital money with artificial intelligence.

Google has updated its open-source AI protocol to allow applications to send and receive payments, including stablecoins pegged to fiat currencies like the U.S. dollar. To build this system, the tech giant partnered with Coinbase and worked with the Ethereum Foundation as well as over 60 other organisations such as Salesforce, American Express, and Etsy. Their goal is to link both crypto and traditional financial systems into one framework.

This step follows Google’s earlier efforts to set standards for AI agents — digital assistants that can act on behalf of humans. In April, Google launched a protocol that let AI agents communicate with each other. The new update extends that framework into financial transactions, making payments secure, interoperable, and aligned with user intent.

The move comes during rapid growth in the stablecoin market. According to DefiLlama, the value of stablecoins in circulation has climbed to $289 billion in 2025, up from $205 billion at the start of the year. At the same time, USDC-issuer Circle’s oversubscribed IPO earlier this year highlighted growing investor confidence in stablecoins, with many seeing them as part of a wider monetary shift.

Google’s partnership with Coinbase signals how big tech and crypto are converging to make AI-powered digital payments a mainstream reality.