Cloudflare is entering the world of digital payments with NET Dollar, a US dollar-backed stablecoin aimed at powering instant, automated payments across the AI-driven Internet.
Key Takeaways
Cloudflare announced NET Dollar, a new stablecoin to support AI agents and microtransactions across the web.
The stablecoin is backed by the US dollar and designed for instant, secure, global transactions.
NET Dollar supports a new Internet economy based on pay-per-use and fractional payments.
Cloudflare is also working on open standards like Agent Payments Protocol and x402 to standardize web-based financial interactions.
What Happened?
Cloudflare unveiled its plan to launch NET Dollar, a stablecoin tied to the US dollar, intended to facilitate seamless, secure, and instant transactions for the growing world of AI-powered agents. As more tasks online shift from human control to autonomous systems, Cloudflare sees a need for Internet-native financial rails that support this new digital economy.
Cloudflare introduces NET Dollar, a new U.S. dollar-backed stablecoin that will enable instant, secure transactions for the agentic web. https://t.co/FhFN4uEAf0
— Cloudflare (@Cloudflare) September 25, 2025
Cloudflare’s Vision for an Agentic Web Economy
Cloudflare believes the traditional ad-based Internet business model is no longer sustainable in an AI-driven world. In response, the company is introducing NET Dollar to support pay-per-use models, microtransactions, and fractional payments, helping realign incentives in favor of creators and developers.
According to Cloudflare co-founder and CEO Matthew Prince:
“
The Internet’s next business model will be powered by pay-per-use, fractional payments, and microtransactions – tools that shift incentives toward original, creative content that actually adds value.
Cloudflare aims to use its global infrastructure to modernize financial systems for the next wave of web evolution. The company has operated globally for 15 years, primarily known for accelerating and securing web traffic. Now, it plans to bring the same reliability to payments executed by AI agents and apps.
Why a Stablecoin?
NET Dollar is backed by the US dollar, ensuring stability in transactions, and is designed to operate across borders and currencies. This enables AI agents to complete tasks like paying for a flight or placing a grocery order without human intervention.
Key features of NET Dollar include:
Instant and programmatic payments for personal and business use.
Global reach with secure, transparent, and recorded transactions.
Support for creators and developers to monetize content and APIs.
Equitable compensation models for AI companies using third-party data.
NET Dollar supports the shift to a system where value flows back to content creators and developers, instead of being captured solely by large platforms.
Collaboration and Open Standards
Cloudflare is not building this ecosystem alone. The company is partnering with Coinbase and contributing to open standards like the Agent Payments Protocol and x402, which aim to simplify how autonomous systems handle payments.
For example, the x402 protocol builds on the HTTP 402 status code, often labeled “payment required,” to create a standardized way for AI agents to initiate and receive payments over the web. These initiatives are part of a broader mission to make the Internet more payment-friendly and automation-ready.
Replacing Ads with AI-Era Transactions
Cloudflare envisions NET Dollar as part of a long-term shift away from ad-based business models. In this new paradigm, users and their AI agents will interact with digital services using direct, micro-scale payments, creating a more equitable online economy.
The company sees stablecoins like NET Dollar as complementary to traditional financial systems, offering faster and more interoperable solutions tailored to the unique demands of autonomous, AI-driven web experiences.
CoinLaw’s Takeaway
Honestly, I think this is a bold and smart move by Cloudflare. In my experience, innovation often happens when infrastructure catches up with user behavior, and people are clearly shifting toward automated, AI-powered tools. What Cloudflare is offering with NET Dollar feels like a natural next step. It’s more than just a new coin. It’s a challenge to rethink how we reward digital value in a future where bots and AI do the browsing, buying, and decision-making for us. If they can pull this off, it could set the tone for how money flows across the web in the AI age.
