Ripple has enhanced its XRP Ledger AI Starter Kit to include support for a payments standard developed by Stripe and Tempo, enabling AI agents to utilize XRP and RLUSD for various online services.
New Features for Automated Payments
The latest update broadens the capabilities for automated payments in XRP and RLUSD, providing tools for agents to make repeated payments for services and manage wallets across different blockchains.
Version 1.1 of the XRPL AI Starter Kit now incorporates the Machine Payments Protocol (MPP) and the Open Wallet Standard, allowing software to handle wallets across multiple blockchains through a unified interface, as detailed in a developer post by RippleX.
Jazzi Cooper, head of product at RippleX, stated, "Our job is to make XRP and RLUSD first-class options wherever developers are building." RLUSD refers to Ripple's stablecoin pegged to the dollar.
Previously, Ripple integrated support for x402, another web payment standard, in June, and now supports both x402 and MPP, indicating a strategy of backing multiple standards rather than choosing one.
MPP allows AI agents—software that performs tasks on behalf of users—to conduct payments seamlessly. When a service provides a quote, the agent can authorize the payment, and the service then delivers the requested resource. This standard was co-created by payments company Stripe and Tempo, a blockchain designed for payment solutions.
Significance of the Update
For AI agents purchasing data or computing resources, it is crucial to have an accepted currency and the software necessary to facilitate payments. Ripple aims for both XRP and RLUSD to be viable options as developers create services that charge machines for each request.
The support for both x402 and MPP enables developers using either standard to accept payments on the XRP Ledger.
Businesses leveraging Stripe and Tempo's open protocol can now offer XRP or RLUSD payment options through this new integration, positioning Ripple within applications where developers opted for their payment standard before selecting a blockchain.
The XRP payment channels are particularly advantageous for services that charge small, recurrent fees. An agent could deposit XRP once, execute numerous paid queries, and authorize additional spending after each response. This setup allows the provider to receive the total payment without needing to record every transaction on the blockchain.
This creates a specific use case for XRP as a reserve for session payments. While individual payments can already utilize issued tokens like RLUSD, the session feature currently requires XRP, with the addition of stablecoins contingent upon a proposed ledger upgrade.
The payment software is still in beta, and Ripple's announcement did not specify any commercial customers using the new MPP integration or provide any payment volume figures.