[DigitalToday reporter Yoonseo Lee] Ripple is expanding the use of the XRP Ledger (XRPL) in the artificial intelligence (AI)-based payments space.

The Crypto Basic, a blockchain media outlet, reported on Sept. 17 local time that Ripple added support for XRP and RLUSD to the Machine Payments Protocol (MPP) developed by Stripe and Tempo.

The integration was delivered through version 1.1 of the XRPL AI Starter Kit. Developers can use it to build AI agents that make payments and manage blockchain wallets. Supported assets include XRP and assets issued on the XRP Ledger, and Ripple’s dollar-pegged stablecoin RLUSD is also supported.

Payment targets include various services and tools that AI applications must purchase automatically, such as API access rights, computing resources and data services. Ripple explained that the update enables AI agents to approve and process required payments directly.

Ripple also added the XRP Ledger payment channel feature. Payment channels allow multiple small payments generated during service use to be accumulated off-chain, with only the final amount settled on the XRP Ledger. This lets AI agents handle recurring payments efficiently while using services. Payment channels are currently supported mainly for XRP.

Ripple also added developer tools. It released a beta version, xrpl-mpp-sdk, for MPP payments, along with xrpl-up, which simplifies XRP Ledger development and testing. This is seen as a move to expand the XRP Ledger into a development ecosystem.

The integration does not mean XRP or RLUSD has been added directly to Stripe’s existing payment products. The change focuses on supporting the XRP Ledger within MPP, an open standard for AI payments by Stripe and Tempo. The emphasis is less on Stripe adopting crypto and more on expanding XRP Ledger use in AI agent payment experiments and development environments.

Against this backdrop, the next point to watch is whether developers adopt it. If a structure spreads in which AI applications automatically purchase computing resources, data and APIs, the market’s next focus is expected to be how widely XRP and RLUSD are used as actual machine payment methods.