AI & Machine Payment Layer

As AI and IoT technologies become ubiquitous, future economic activities will no longer be driven solely by humans but increasingly by Intelligent Agents that can execute and settle transactions automatically.The AI & Machine Payment Layer of StakeStone’s Crypto-native Neo Bank is designed precisely for this purpose: it enables every AI, device, or algorithm to possess a verifiable identity, a funding account, and payment capabilities, allowing them to function as Autonomous Economic Actors within the financial system.This layer integrates next-generation machine payment protocols such as Google’s AP2 (Agents-to-Payments Protocol) and Coinbase’s x402, forming a fully automated loop from Agent Decision to On-chain Settlement, and establishing the foundational layer of true MachineFi (machine finance).In StakeStone’s Crypto-native Neo Bank architecture, the system supports:

• AP2 (Agents-to-Payments Protocol): Defines how intelligent agents generate, transmit, and sign payment intents.

• x402 (HTTP-based Payment Protocol): Provides a standardized payment authorization and verification channel, enabling onchain settlement and micropayments without relying on traditional centralized account infrastructures.

Core Applications:

1. Agent Identity Layer

   1. Each AI or IoT device is assigned an onchain account (e.g., EOA) that registers a unique identity, which can become a smart account through EIP-7702.

   2. This identity is bound to the device’s StakeStone bank account, permission policies, and onchain compliance modules (ZK-KYC / AML), forming an Identified Machine Account (IMA) with verifiable credentials and programmable access control.

2. Payment Intent via AP2

   1. The Identified Machine Account (IMA) can create an Intent Mandate via the AP2 protocol, authorizing automated payment actions under predefined conditions.

   2. Based on triggering pre-authorization conditions or merchant-side quotations, the AP2 framework generates a Cart Mandate.

   3. After two-way verification within the StakeStone system, the data is packaged into a standardized Payment Intent, which includes amount, recipient, execution conditions, contextual data, and execution logic.

3. Execution & x402

   1. A Payment Intent can be executed either directly by an authorized StakeStone smart contract or sent to an x402 facilitator for offchain or hybrid settlement.

   2. The x402 facilitator verifies the signatures and authorization, executes the payment settlement (or forwards the transaction to onchain execution), and returns an HTTP 200 response to confirm payment completion and service accessibility.

4. Compliance Feedback Loop

   1. Every payment automatically triggers onchain compliance verification through ZK-KYC / AML RuleSets, ensuring audit visibility for all machine-to-machine transactions.

   2. Transaction and settlement states are synchronized in real time with StakeStone’s Risk Control System and Regulatory Interfaces, achieving Compliance-as-Code through protocol-level enforcement.

Through the combination of AP2 and x402, StakeStone’s machine accounts can not only perform settlements within its own system but also interoperate with mainstream enterprise-grade payment networks, achieving a Unified Flow between human and machine accounts.