Kite launches mainnet and agent passport for AI payments

Kite launched its mainnet today and introduced the Kite Agent Passport, an identity and payments infrastructure designed for autonomous AI agents. The platform combines three components: Kite Chain, a stable native settlement layer; the Kite Agent Passport, a core service that issues programmable wallets; and an Agent Interface & Experience layer for agent registration and service discovery.

Programmable wallets let agents hold funds, make purchases and settle transactions in stable digital dollars while connecting to traditional banking rails. Users can set spending limits and approve allowed payment destinations. Kite said agents can operate inside applications such as Claude to buy physical goods, arrange shipping and complete payments subject to user-enforced limits.

Kite Chain handles settlement in digital dollars and links to conventional banking systems for consumer use. The Agent Interface & Experience provides tools for developers, agent registration, service discovery and agent harnesses.

The company reports integrations with more than 90 service providers and use cases that include shopping, travel planning and automated paid-agent workflows. Kite is positioning its platform to support multiple payment protocol standards, naming the x402 payment standard, Google’s AP2 protocol, Stripe’s Machine Payment Protocol and Anthropic’s Model Context Protocol. Pilot integrations with PayPal and Shopify are underway.

Kite is a member of the Linux Foundation’s Agentic AI Foundation and raised $35 million in funding led by PayPal Ventures and General Catalyst. The Kite Agent Passport is available now to users and developers at agentpassport.ai.

“The launch is just the beginning,” Chi Zhang, co‑founder and CEO of Kite, wrote in a statement. He described the platform as enabling agents to operate with verified identity, programmable permissions and settlement.

The launch comes as companies build infrastructure for autonomous agents that can perform tasks and transact on behalf of people and businesses. Kite emphasizes stable-dollar settlement and compatibility with existing payment standards to connect agent-native activity with traditional financial systems.