Circle joins the Agentic AI Foundation, with stablecoins becoming the cornerstone of the AI agent economy

Circle officially joined the Agentic AI Foundation (AAIF) on February 24, becoming one of 18 new Gold Members. AAIF also announced the addition of 79 new Silver Members, bringing the total membership to 146, and appointed AWS Developer Experience Director David Nalley as Chair of the Governance Committee.

AAIF Rapid Expansion: 146 Members Driving Open Standards for AI Agents

The Agentic AI Foundation was established jointly by members of the Linux Foundation to promote open protocols, tools, and best practices for AI agent systems. Its core goals include reducing ecosystem fragmentation, enhancing cross-platform interoperability, and establishing neutral governance standards for production-ready AI agent systems.

New Chair David Nalley brings over 20 years of open-source leadership experience and will be responsible for setting the foundation’s strategic priorities, guiding members to collaborate around open protocols and AI infrastructure. Linux Foundation Executive Director Jim Zemlin stated that nearly 150 organizations joined early in the foundation’s development, “strongly indicating that AI agents are moving from experimental to practical deployment.” Notably, 89% of organizations using AI rely on open-source software, further emphasizing the need for neutral governance and unified standards.

Highlights of the 18 New Gold Members (Partial List)

Circle: Stablecoin issuer, joining to promote stablecoins as part of open infrastructure standards for AI agents

JPMorgan Chase: One of the world’s largest investment banks, with over $19.8 billion annual technology investment

American Express: Committed to establishing trusted open payment standards for AI agent transactions

Global Payments: Operating in over 175 countries, managing trillions of dollars in payments

ServiceNow: Enterprise AI workflow platform, positioned as an enterprise-level “control tower” for AI agents

UiPath: Global leader in intelligent automation of agents

Circle’s AI Agent Strategy: USDC as the Foundation for Smart Economy Settlement

Circle clearly articulated its core strategic logic in its joining statement: “As software plays an increasingly important role in coordinating economic activities, open standards and trusted financial infrastructure are critical. Stablecoins enable real-time value transfer across the globe in automated systems, and joining AAIF reflects our commitment to open and interoperable infrastructure.”

This statement reveals Circle’s positioning shift: stablecoins like USDC are not just payment tools but serve as the underlying settlement layer relied upon by AI agents executing autonomous financial operations. With AI agents capable of independently holding funds and autonomously executing cross-border payments, the real-time programmable features of stablecoins form an indispensable infrastructure component.

AAIF members will participate in the MCP Developer Summit in New York City on April 2-3, 2026, where Circle is expected to focus on establishing open standards for stablecoins in AI agent payment scenarios.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Agentic AI Foundation (AAIF), and why did Circle choose to join as a Gold Member?

AAIF is a neutral foundation jointly established by Linux Foundation members to promote open protocols and interoperability standards for AI agent systems. Circle’s membership as a Gold Member reflects its belief that stablecoins will serve as the foundational settlement layer for autonomous financial operations of AI agents, and its intention to participate in setting industry standards.

How does Circle’s joining AAIF impact the application of USDC stablecoin?

Circle’s participation signals a clear strategic direction: USDC, along with products like Circle Payments Network and Arc, will be positioned as core infrastructure for AI agents to autonomously perform financial operations. If industry consensus is reached on standards for interoperability between stablecoins and AI agents within AAIF, it will facilitate standardized adoption of USDC in automated payments, cross-border settlements, and agent-driven economies.

What is the current scale of AAIF membership, and which industries are broadly involved?

As of February 2026, AAIF has 146 members. The recent addition of 18 Gold Members spans industries including finance (Circle, American Express, JPMorgan Chase, Global Payments), technology infrastructure (Akamai, Equinix, Lenovo, Huawei), and enterprise software (ServiceNow, UiPath, Red Hat), reflecting widespread cross-industry consensus on advancing AI agent standardization.