MoonPay launches PayBox for ChatGPT crypto payments
This article was updated with comments from Zoey Zhou, investment director at Foresight Ventures, regarding PayBox’s security risks and adoption outlook.
MoonPay has launched PayBox, a noncustodial payment vault that lets users execute crypto transactions and online purchases through ChatGPT and Claude.
- PayBox connects with ChatGPT and Claude through custom connectors and natural-language instructions.
- Users can buy, swap, bridge, or deposit crypto and complete travel, dining, and retail purchases.
- Passkeys and spending policies determine which transactions an AI assistant can execute.
- Foresight Ventures warned that intent failure remains a major security risk for AI payments.
MoonPay PayBox turns AI conversations into transactions
PayBox allows users to connect a payment vault to ChatGPT or Anthropic’s Claude and describe a transaction in plain language. The assistant can research available options, prepare the transaction and execute it under permissions set by the user.
Supported actions include buying crypto with fiat, swapping tokens, bridging assets between blockchains and depositing funds into decentralized finance protocols. Users can also book flights, reserve restaurant tables and purchase goods from online retailers.
Commenting on the launch, Zoey Zhou, investment director at Foresight Ventures, told crypto.news that PayBox addresses two central issues for AI payments: authorization and control.
“The real shift is that an AI agent can prepare a payment while the user still governs the final action through passkeys, spending policies and approval settings.”
Zhou described the product as a step from AI assistants recommending transactions to initiating them with user approval. However, she cautioned that the launch should not be treated as proof that agent-led payments are ready for widespread adoption.
Passkeys limit access but cannot verify intent
PayBox offers two authorization models. Under “Always Ask,” users must approve every transaction with a passkey. Each authorization applies to one action and expires after it is used.
The “Autonomous” setting lets an assistant operate within spending limits and rules chosen by the user. Changing either permission model requires another passkey authorization.
Wallet keys are divided through multiparty computation and stored across secure hardware environments. MoonPay said neither the company nor the connected assistant can independently access the complete private key or authorize a transaction.
Card purchases use Visa’s agentic commerce protocol, allowing the assistant to complete payments without accessing or storing the card number. PayBox’s security system is based on technology from Sodot, a key-management company MoonPay acquired earlier in 2026.
Zhou said MPC, trusted execution environments and passkeys provide basic protection but cannot independently confirm whether a transaction matches the user’s true intention.
“The biggest security risk is intent failure. The AI may misunderstand the user, or be manipulated by prompt injection, malicious merchants, spoofed wallets, phishing contracts or unclear smart-contract approvals.”
She added that AI payment vaults need transaction simulations, allowlists, anomaly detection, audit logs and clear liability rules alongside spending limits and revocation controls.
PayBox supports Solana and EVM networks
PayBox supports Solana and several Ethereum Virtual Machine-compatible networks, including Ethereum, Hyperliquid, Tempo, Base, Robinhood Chain, Arbitrum and Polygon.
The vault also integrates with x402, an open payment standard for services that accept agent-initiated transactions. MoonPay said the first integrations cover travel, restaurant reservations and purchases from major online retailers.
Zhou expects stablecoins to play an important role in agent-to-agent payments, cross-border settlement, micropayments, DeFi and trading workflows. However, she said payment cards will likely remain stronger in mainstream commerce because they offer refunds, dispute systems, fraud protection and broad merchant acceptance.
“The near-term impact may be less about replacing cards and more about stablecoins becoming backend payment rails for agent-driven activity.”
For US users, that model could place stablecoins behind consumer-facing AI payment tools while card networks continue handling familiar retail protections. Access to particular crypto assets and DeFi services may still vary by location and provider rules.
MoonPay broadens its on-chain payment strategy
PayBox follows MoonPay’s expansion into tokenized financial products. As crypto.news reported in June, Franklin Templeton added its BENJI tokenized money market fund to MoonPay Trade.
The integration allows institutional clients to exchange USDC, USDT and other stablecoins for BENJI. It also gives BENJI holders a route into stablecoin liquidity and can support treasury management, portfolio rebalancing, collateral and liquidity provision.
Zhou expects AI vaults to develop into financial control systems through which users and companies define who an agent can pay, how much it can spend and when approval is required. Adoption will therefore depend on whether providers can combine wallet security with identity checks, authorization policies, compliance and risk controls.
