x402 Payment Protocol Launches on Etherlink, Ushering in a New Paradigm for Decentralized API Payments

March 6, 2026, Singapore – The x402 payment protocol has officially launched on the Etherlink network, providing digital services with instant, low-cost cryptocurrency payment solutions. The protocol is based on the HTTP 402 "Payment Required" status code, allowing servers to directly request user payments through standard HTTP headers, without relying on traditional payment gateways or complex subscription systems. The TZ APAC team optimized Coinbase's original implementation, introducing payment intermediaries and Permit2 proxy mechanisms to Etherlink, enabling users to complete non-custodial, destination-locked on-chain settlements using ERC-20 tokens, significantly improving payment flexibility and security.

David Tng, Managing Director of TZ APAC, stated: "This launch makes Etherlink the first mainstream EVM chain to support native x402 payments. It transforms API interfaces into directly receivable smart endpoints, promoting pay-per-use business models for on-chain services and building the underlying payment infrastructure for the emerging intelligent agent economy."

This deployment targets a wide range of application scenarios: SaaS and API service providers seeking to break away from subscriptions and implement pay-per-request billing; Web3 applications that can directly monetize interface calls on Etherlink; and wallets, SDKs, and infrastructure developers who can obtain standardized integration templates. The implementation has been designed as an open-source reference solution for ecosystem builders and hackathon teams to reuse and extend. Etherlink, as an Ethereum Layer 2 scaling solution, continues to promote the practical implementation of decentralized applications, and the integration of x402 further strengthens its competitive advantage in micro-payment and automated transaction scenarios.