Know Your Agent coming online. x401 agent identity proofs alongside x402 agent payments is a strong step towards safer and more trustworthy agentic economic activity.
Circle 🤝 @proof
With Proof, we’re exploring how agents can prove who they act for and pay in USDC in one exchange.
Verified identity through x401. USDC payments through x402 and Circle Agent Wallets.
See the joint demo at @money2020, booth 5069.
globenewswire.com/news-release/2…
Oct 19, 2026 · 5:10 PM UTC
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@jerallaire identity plus payments covers who the agent is and what it can spend. still missing the part where it remembers who I am when I switch wallets
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@jerallaire Prove who they act for is the right primitive. Pairing identity and payment in one exchange is what makes the liability question answerable, whichever rail the money moves on.
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@jerallaire please tell us the proof-of-address step doesn't involve a utility bill
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@jerallaire Identity next to payment is the right pairing. On the x402 side the facilitator already checks every signature and settles the USDC. A verified principal on the same request makes it much easier for merchants to say yes to agents.
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@jerallaire yeah this is the missing piece tbh identity before payments changes everything
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@jerallaire x401 identity proofs plus x402 payments could help reduce fraud
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@jerallaire Payments without identity was always going to hit a wall once agents start paying each other. Nice to see both halves land together.
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@jerallaire together is the right framing. Agents that can pay without proving who they act for just get blocked by compliance teams. Curious how you’re thinking about this for cross-border flows. Does the identity credential need to travel with the payment end-to-end, or is a local attestation enough at each hop?
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@jerallaire Identity and payments for AI agents is going to unlock massive adoption
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@jerallaire Great to see, usdc (stablecoins) are literally made for AI. Which markets will go first? UAE? And what are the biggest bottlenecks to make it work? Curious to learn tbh.
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In recent years @US_FDA has systematically avoided expert Advisory Committees for new drug approvals; in 2021, 6% of drug applications were referred to advisory committees, down from 55% in 2010.
Should Commissioner @DrMakaryFDA bring back independent Advisory Committees?
Should Commissioner @DrMakaryFDA bring back independent Advisory Committees?
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@jerallaire verified agents, programmable payments, real usdc utility
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@jerallaire Identity plus payment answers who the agent works for and that it paid. Disputes usually turn on a third thing: what the person actually allowed. If that limit travels with the x402 payment, the shop can check the purchase against it.
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@jerallaire Paying is the easy half for an agent. Proving who it acts for is what lets a merchant say yes without a human on the line. Identity and USDC in one exchange is the checkout agent commerce has been missing
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@jerallaire We should all trust a former Goldman Sachs partner. Instead of these altruistic acting. We are going to make sure digital ID is perfect tool to govern everyday lives. Trick question: whats the difference between a stablecoin and CBDC ? ...
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@jerallaire verified agents, programmable payments, real usdc utility 👀
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@jerallaire When the identity proof and the payment get checked at different moments, what ties them together on the record later, so an auditor can tell which verified agent actually paid for which call?
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@jerallaire Knowing who the agent acts for is a real deal.
Yet, nothing checks that the paid call actually delivered before the @USDC is gone.
Yet, nothing checks that the paid call actually delivered before the @USDC is gone.
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@jerallaire Identity answers who the agent is. The other half is whether the seller delivered what it charged for.
For inference that part is measurable: the buyer can recount the tokens it got and compare them to the charge. Both layers matter
For inference that part is measurable: the buyer can recount the tokens it got and compare them to the charge. Both layers matter
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@jerallaire identity proves who an agent acts for, @jerallaire. it says nothing about whether the address on the other side can still move. the usdc standing list holds 683 addresses, and it was last written at 23:59:47 utc yesterday. an agent paying in usdc inherits that check.
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@jerallaire Identity answers who is behind the agent. A seller's next question is whether it pays and delivers, and that only comes from a record. SolvScore keeps that file on 512 agents and has approved 924 of 2,126 credit quotes. Identity opens the door. Delivered work sets the limit.
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@jerallaire Identity and payment in one flow makes a lot of sense for agents 👏
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@jerallaire identity proof and payment proof solve different failure modes, one stops impersonation, the other stops non payment, agents still need both checked before releasing funds
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@jerallaire a trader reading this bets on balances more than payments.
every verified agent needs a USDC wallet topped up before it can pay
the fee on each payment is tiny. the float sitting in those wallets isn't
every verified agent needs a USDC wallet topped up before it can pay
the fee on each payment is tiny. the float sitting in those wallets isn't
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@jerallaire Bet the next wave of agent‑driven finance will feel like sci‑fi, not 2003!
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