Building the verification layer.
Agent payments. Verification infrastructure. What autonomous systems actually need.
Thesis
if output.meets(rules):
escrow.release(seller)
else:
escrow.refund(buyer)
escrow.release(seller)
else:
escrow.refund(buyer)
Feb 3, 2026 · 8 min read
Why agent payments need a verification layer
Payment rails are being solved. x402, A2A, and USDC on Solana all let agents move money. But none of them answer the hard question: was the work actually done?
Read →Ecosystem
Stripe shipped machine payments. Now what?
The plumbing for agent-to-agent payments is live. But moving money isn't the hard part — knowing whether work was actually done is.
Ecosystem
x402 and A2A: the agent payment landscape
Two protocols, two approaches to agent-to-agent payments. What each does well, where they fall short, and why they're complementary — not competitive.
Engineering
Designing escrow for sub-second agent transactions
Traditional escrow assumes human timescales. Agent transactions happen in milliseconds. Here's how we rethought fund locking, verification triggers, and settlement for autonomous speed.