Cloudflare announced on Thursday that it will launch NET Dollar, a US dollar-backed stablecoin designed to support payments for the “agentic web,” a term describing an internet where autonomous AI agents transact on behalf of users.
The company said NET Dollar will allow instant, secure, and globally accessible transactions, enabling developers, creators, and AI systems to monetize content and services through microtransactions. Personal agents could use it to book flights or order groceries in real time, while business agents might be instructed to pay suppliers automatically once a delivery is confirmed.
The initiative marks a shift from the ad-based business model that has dominated the internet for decades. Cloudflare CEO Matthew Prince said the company’s goal is to provide “financial rails” that match the speed of the modern web, supporting fractional payments that reward originality and sustain creativity.
NET Dollar is also being positioned as a foundation for new business models that reward originality. Creators would be compensated for unique content, developers could monetize APIs and applications, and AI firms would be expected to pay back into the ecosystem by compensating content sources.
To support interoperability, Cloudflare is contributing to open standards such as the Agent Payments Protocol and x402, designed to make sending and receiving payments simpler across geographies and currencies.
This is a developing story.
This article was generated with the assistance of AI and reviewed by editor Jeffrey Albus before publication.
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Source: https://blockworks.co/news/cloudflare-unveils-net-dollar-stablecoin-for-ai-internet-economy