Cloudflare Unveils NET Dollar: A Stablecoin for the AI-Driven Web

Cloudflare unveils NET Dollar stablecoin secure transactions for the agentic web - SiliconANGLE

Cloudflare unveils NET Dollar stablecoin secure transactions for the agentic web Cloud connectivity provider Cloudflare Inc. today announced plans to introduce NET Dollar, a new U.S. dollar-backed stablecoin that will enable instant, secure transactions for the agentic web. Cloudflare is aiming to make NET Dollar a core feature of a new business model for the internet that rewards originality, sustains creativity and enables innovation in an artificial intelligence-driven world. The stablecoin is seeking to address how the web is evolving from humans driving every interaction themselves to delegating tasks to autonomous AI agents to book a flight, order groceries, manage calendars and more. Cloudflare argues that for this to happen, the underlying financial system will also need to evolve, as the AI-driven internet will need money that is instant, global, and secure so that AI agents, developers and creators can transact instantly, automatically and reliably. "For decades, the business model of the internet ran on ad platforms and bank transfers. 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," explains Matthew Prince, co-founder and chief executive officer of Cloudflare. "By using our global network, we are going to help modernize the financial rails needed to move money at the speed of the internet, helping to create a more open and valuable internet for everyone." Cloudflare has been around for years helping customers accelerate performance, secure websites and networks and develop and deploy applications. With NET Dollar, the company is aiming to do similarly with transactions by offering an internet-native payment system that is fast, secure and globally accessible. NET Dollar, should it be embraced, is aimed at helping modernize the payment ecosystem for the future of the agentic web by making payments easy anywhere in the world, as agents will need systems to enable payments that are not only fast and secure but also trusted, recorded transparently, and executed reliably at a global scale. Using NET Dollar, Cloudflare says that personal agents will be able to take instant, programmatic actions like paying for the cheapest flight or ordering an item the moment it goes on sale. Business agents could also be instructed to pay suppliers when a delivery is confirmed. Cloudflare also believes that NET Dollar will unlock a new business model for the internet by allowing creators to be rewarded for unique and original content, developers to easily monetize application programming interfaces and applications and to allow AI companies to contribute back to the ecosystem that fuels them by compensating content sources fairly. It's a bold move by Cloudflare. Stablecoins are hardly new, but Cloudflare's twist - creating NET Dollar as a complement to agentic AI systems - could find a willing audience. But likewise, it's not exactly an easy ask, as outside existing cryptocurrency markets, stablecoins have never had widespread acceptance. Whether Cloudflare can change that with NET Dollar time will tell.

​​Cloudflare plans 'NET dollar' stablecoin to power AI-driven payments

Cloudflare said NET Dollar is aimed at powering instant payments for AI agents, creators and developers worldwide. Cloud infrastructure company Cloudflare has announced plans to move into the digital assets market with the launch of a US dollar-backed stablecoin. According to a Thursday announcement, the company is working on the NET dollar, its stablecoin intended to support instant transactions triggered by AI agents -- autonomous software programs that can perform tasks such as booking travel, ordering goods or managing schedules. "Personal agents will be able to take instant, programmatic actions like paying for the cheapest flight, or ordering an item the moment it goes on sale," Cloudflare said about its vision for the stablecoin. The move highlights how tech companies are increasingly testing the waters in crypto. Earlier this month, Google introduced an open-source AI payments protocol with built-in stablecoin support, developed in collaboration with Coinbase. Cloudflare said the NET Dollar will be fully backed by US dollars and designed for global interoperability, real-time settlement, and programmable transactions between AI agents and other online services. The company views a stablecoin linked to its infrastructure services as a driver for new business models -- rewarding creators for original content, enabling developers to monetize applications, and allowing AI firms to compensate content providers directly. Matthew Prince, co-founder and CEO of Cloudflare, said: "For decades, the business model of the internet ran on ad platforms and bank transfers. The internet's next business model will be powered by pay-per-use, fractional payments, and microtransactions [...]. Galaxy Digital CEO Mike Novogratz argued this month that AI agents will soon become the biggest users of stablecoins, predicting a future where they handle everyday transactions like buying groceries. Founded in 2010, Cloudflare's network covers cities across 120 countries, providing content delivery, domain name system management, distributed denial-of-service protection and developer tools for building and deploying applications. The timeline for the launch of NET Dollar has not been disclosed, though Cloudflare's website says it "will be made available soon." Cointelegraph reached out to Cloudflare for comment, but had not received a reply at the time of publication. Related: Stablecoins vs. credit cards: The coming $100B US payments battle With more precise stablecoin regulation passing in Europe and the United States in 2025, stablecoin adoption has been rising. Though Tether's USDt (USDT) and Circle's (USDC) continue to dominate by market cap with $173 billion and $73.7 billion, respectively, other players around the globe are emerging. On Sept. 18, the South Korean digital asset infrastructure company BDACS announced KRW1, a stablecoin pegged to the South Korean won. Fintech company AnchorX in September said it issued AxCNH, the first regulated stablecoin linked to the offshore Chinese yuan. The stablecoin is intended to support cross-border payments with nations involved in China's Belt and Road Initiative. On Wednesday, the decentralized derivatives exchange Hyperliquid launched a stablecoin pegged to the US dollar called USDH. Tether, issuer of USDt, the world's largest stablecoin, also introduced a new token this month. On Sept. 11, it announced USAT, a dollar-backed stablecoin for the US market designed to comply with the recently enacted Genius Act. The current stablecoin market cap is approaching $300 billion, as per data from DefiLlama.

Cloudflare Unveils 'NET Dollar' Stablecoin To Power Agentic Web - Cloudflare (NYSE:NET)

Cloudflare, Inc. (NYSE: NET) on Thursday outlined a plan to debut "NET Dollar," a U.S. dollar-backed stablecoin it says will enable instant, secure payments as autonomous AI agents transact across the web. See if NET stock is worth your attention here. Cloudflare is pitching NET Dollar as financial plumbing for the "agentic web," where software agents handle purchases, subscriptions and data access on users' behalf. The company framed the token as a way to support pay-per-use and microtransactions at Internet scale. Also Read: CarMax Stock Hits 52-Week Low After Q2 Earnings - Here's Why Cloudflare says NET Dollar is designed to settle quickly, operate globally and interoperate with existing rails so agents, developers and creators can transact automatically. The company highlighted scenarios such as a personal agent buying the lowest-fare flight the moment it appears, or a business agent paying a supplier once delivery is confirmed. "For decades, the business model of the Internet ran on ad platforms and bank transfers. 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," said Matthew Prince, co-founder and CEO of Cloudflare. "By using our global network, we are going to help modernize the financial rails needed to move money at the speed of the Internet, helping to create a more open and valuable Internet for everyone." Cloudflare said it is contributing to open payment standards that make machine-to-machine transactions simpler and more consistent, pointing to work around x402 and other emerging protocols. Earlier this week, the company also detailed efforts tied to an x402 foundation to standardize Internet payment interactions. The move extends Cloudflare's push beyond security and performance into payments infrastructure for AI-driven services. It also fits a broader industry shift toward compensating content owners and API providers via usage-based payments that are granular and programmable. NET Price Action: Cloudflare shares are trading down 0.19% to $217.11 at publication on Thursday. Read Next: Eightco Chair Dan Ives Calls Sam Altman's World Project The 'Intersection Of AI And Crypto,' Compares It To Nvidia, Palantir Photo: Piotr Swat via Shutterstock NETCloudflare Inc$217.28-0.13%Overview This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors. Market News and Data brought to you by Benzinga APIs