Cloudflare has announced a new digital currency called NET Dollar, a U.S. dollar-backed stablecoin designed to support payments on the AI-driven Internet. The company says NET Dollar will help make transactions faster, safer, and more reliable for people and businesses worldwide. By creating a payment system built for the agentic web, Cloudflare hopes to modernize how money moves online and open a new business model for the Internet.
The Internet has long relied on ads and bank transfers as the main ways to support websites and content. Cloudflare argues this model no longer fits the way the web is changing. With AI agents now booking flights, ordering groceries, and managing schedules, a financial system that can keep up is needed. Cloudflare believes the future of online payments lies in instant global payments, microtransactions, and fractional payments. These tools could reward originality, give creators a way to earn money, and help developers monetize APIs and applications without relying only on advertising.
NET Dollar works as a stablecoin tied to the value of the U.S. dollar. Unlike traditional bank transfers, this Internet-native payment system can complete transactions instantly and across borders. That means an AI agent could pay for a flight the moment it goes on sale, or a business could send money to a supplier the instant a delivery is confirmed. The aim is to make transactions transparent, secure, and reliable across currencies and time zones. Cloudflare says its global network, already used to accelerate websites and secure networks, will now be used to power payments.
The new stablecoin fits into a broader plan for an open Internet economy. Cloudflare is contributing to open standards like the Agent Payments Protocol and x402, which are designed to make sending and receiving payments simpler on the web. The company says these standards will allow different systems to work together, improving interoperability across services and platforms. By using standards, developers and creators can trust that NET Dollar transactions will integrate smoothly into the tools they already use.
The idea of using stablecoins for daily Internet payments has been gaining attention beyond Cloudflare. Stablecoins are already used for digital commerce, with billions of dollars moving across blockchains every day. They offer price stability compared to volatile cryptocurrencies, making them easier to use for both businesses and individuals. NET Dollar builds on this idea but applies it directly to the agentic web, where AI systems handle much of the activity. This approach could give both creators and companies a fair way to be compensated for their work.
Cloudflare sees the agentic web as a major shift in how the Internet works. Instead of every interaction requiring a person, AI agents will take actions on behalf of users. These agents will need money that is instant, global, and secure. NET Dollar is meant to fill that role. By making small, automatic payments possible, the stablecoin supports a business model where value comes from originality and usefulness rather than clicks or ads. Creators could be paid directly for content, developers could charge for API calls, and businesses could handle supply chain transactions without delays.
Cloudflare’s co-founder and CEO Matthew Prince said that the next business model of the Internet will not be built on ads but on fractional payments and microtransactions. He explained that Cloudflare’s network is positioned to help modernize the financial rails needed to support this shift. With NET Dollar, the company aims to create a more valuable and open Internet for both people and machines.
For Cloudflare, this move expands its role beyond connectivity and security into the financial layer of the web. The company has long been known for protecting websites from cyberattacks, speeding up performance, and supporting developers with tools. Now it is positioning itself as part of the global payment ecosystem that will support AI-driven innovation. This effort could put Cloudflare in competition with existing financial networks while also working alongside them.
The release of NET Dollar highlights how companies are preparing for a future where AI plays a central role in daily online life. As AI systems become more capable of handling tasks, the need for secure blockchain transactions that can move money at Internet speed grows. Cloudflare’s answer is to combine stablecoin technology with its global infrastructure, creating a payment system ready for the demands of the AI economy.
Developers, creators, and AI companies interested in experimenting with this new model can learn more at netdollar.cloudflare.com. Cloudflare says the project is just the start of building financial tools for the agentic web, where both humans and AI can transact in real time. By backing NET Dollar with the U.S. dollar and connecting it to global networks, Cloudflare hopes to shape the next chapter of the Internet’s growth.
