MoonPay unveils AI onramp for brave new agent economy

CoinDesk

by Ian Allison

February 24, 2026

AI-Generated Deep Dive Summary

MoonPay has launched MoonPay Agents, a groundbreaking non-custodial financial infrastructure designed to empower AI agents with the ability to manage money autonomously. This innovative service allows AI systems to transact, trade, and execute financial strategies independently after being funded by users. By providing AI with access to wallets, funds, and transaction capabilities, MoonPay bridges the gap between artificial intelligence and economic action, enabling agents to operate seamlessly in the digital currency space. The introduction of MoonPay Agents addresses a critical limitation in the AI sector: the inability to interact directly with financial systems without human intervention. Traditionally, AI has been constrained by its lack of access to capital infrastructure, limiting its potential for real-world applications. With MoonPay Agents, users can verify and fund an AI's wallet through a one-time KYC (Know Your Customer) process and connect a payment method via MoonPay's checkout. Once set up, the AI agent can execute transactions, trade assets, and manage funds without further human oversight. The service is particularly significant in the context of cryptocurrency, where speed and efficiency are key advantages over traditional financial systems. According to Ivan Soto-Wright, CEO and Founder of MoonPay, "AI agents can reason but cannot act economically without capital infrastructure." By providing a non-custodial, permissionless platform, MoonPay positions itself as the bridge between AI and money, enabling agents to operate in real-time with minimal friction. MoonPay Agents also aligns with broader trends in the crypto industry, such as the growing adoption of stablecoins for cross-border payments. As highlighted by Stripe's Bridge, which saw a quadrupling of transaction volume in 2025, stablecoins are increasingly being recognized for their utility beyond speculative investing. MoonPay's new service taps into this momentum, offering AI-driven solutions that could revolutionize how financial tasks are executed. For readers interested in crypto and fintech, MoonPay Agents represent a forward-looking development with significant implications. By unlocking the economic potential of AI agents, MoonPay not only enhances the capabilities of digital currency but also opens up new possibilities for automation and efficiency in financial transactions. This innovation underscores the ongoing evolution of blockchain technology and its ability to integrate with emerging technologies like artificial intelligence

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Originally published on CoinDesk on 2/24/2026