CoinDesk
Ripple's updated XRP Ledger AI Starter Kit now supports the Machine Payments Protocol, a payments standard co-authored by Stripe and Tempo, letting AI agents pay for data, computing and other online services with XRP and ledger-issued tokens such as RLUSD.
The 1.1 release also integrates the Open Wallet Standard, which lets software manage wallets across multiple blockchains through a common interface. Agents request transactions without accessing private keys, and the system enforces safeguards including spending limits and approved destinations.
Why it matters
An AI agent buying data or computing power needs a currency the seller accepts and the software to send it. Supporting both MPP and the x402 standard Ripple added in June means developers on either rails can accept payments on the XRP Ledger, a hedge rather than a bet on a single winner.
"Our job is to make XRP and RLUSD first-class options wherever developers are building," RippleX head of product Jazzi Cooper wrote. The integration hands Ripple a route into applications whose builders chose a payment standard before choosing a blockchain.
Market impact
The beta's payment channels are built for services charging small amounts repeatedly: an agent can deposit XRP once, run hundreds of paid queries and authorize incremental spending per answer, with the provider collecting the accumulated total without settling every query on-chain.
That session feature currently requires XRP specifically, giving the asset a distinct role as working capital for machine payments. Individual payments already support issued tokens like RLUSD, but extending sessions to stablecoins depends on a proposed ledger upgrade. Ripple names no commercial customers and no payment volume yet, so adoption remains the metric to watch.
Frequently asked questions
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What is the Machine Payments Protocol Ripple now supports?
MPP is a payments standard co-authored by Stripe and Tempo that lets AI agents pay for online services as they work: a service quotes a price, the agent authorizes payment, and the resource is delivered.
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Which tokens can AI agents pay with on the XRP Ledger?
Agents can make one-time payments in XRP and issued tokens such as Ripple's RLUSD stablecoin. Ongoing payment sessions currently require XRP specifically.
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Why do ongoing payment sessions require XRP instead of RLUSD?
The session feature, which lets an agent deposit once and pay repeatedly across many queries without settling each one on-chain, currently supports only XRP. Extending it to stablecoins depends on a proposed XRP Ledger upgrade.
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What does the Open Wallet Standard add for AI agents?
It lets software manage wallets across multiple blockchains through a common interface, letting agents request transactions without accessing private keys and enforcing safeguards such as spending limits and approved destinations.
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Is the Stripe integration live commercially?
The software remains in beta. Ripple's announcement names no customers using the MPP integration commercially and provides no payment volume for it.
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