COINBASE GIVES AI AGENTS THEIR OWN CRYPTO WALLETS

## The Moment AI Stops Asking Permission Your trading bot spots a better yield at 3 AM. Instead of waiting for you to wake up and approve the trade, it executes automatically. Coinbase just built "the first wallet infrastructure designed specifically for AI agents" that makes this scenario real. Agentic Wallets allow AI agents to autonomously spend, trade, and earn crypto without human approval. No more bottlenecks. No more missed opportunities. Just pure algorithmic execution at machine speed. ## The Rails That Make Robot Money Work The system runs on x402, a payment protocol that has already processed more than 50 million transactions. These aren't traditional banking rails but "crypto rails that enable instant, programmable transactions without the friction of traditional banking infrastructure." The timing feels deliberate. Ethereum saw 13,000 AI agents register on the network in a single day, signaling massive infrastructure preparation. Agentic Wallets support gasless trading on Base, Coinbase's Layer-2 network, preventing agents from getting stuck when they run out of network fees. Built-in functions include sending funds, trading, and earning, so programmers don't need to write complex blockchain code from scratch. Teams can deploy financial capabilities to agents within minutes. ## Security Without Handcuffs Coinbase emphasizes autonomy does not mean unlimited access, with programmable guardrails allowing users to set session caps and transaction limits. Private keys stay protected inside Coinbase's secure infrastructure, and built-in compliance tools screen high-risk actions. The other side of this: complete dependency on Coinbase's infrastructure. If their systems go down, every AI agent stops working. If they change their fee structure, every autonomous strategy gets repriced overnight. "The next generation of agents won't just advise — they'll act," Coinbase developers Erik Reppel and Josh Nickerson wrote. AI agents could monitor DeFi yields, rebalance portfolios at any hour, pay for APIs or compute power on their own, and participate in digital economies. Buy if you're building AI-driven trading strategies and need infrastructure that works 24/7. Skip if you prefer human oversight on every financial decision. The robot economy just got its first real bank account.