machines.cash

machines.cash is a payment platform that bridges cryptocurrency holdings and real-world spending. Users deposit supported crypto assets — including SOL, BTC, HBAR, and USDC on Base, as well as other EVM-compatible tokens — complete identity verification, and receive virtual VISA cards denominated in US dollars. The cards work at any merchant that accepts Visa, letting users spend their crypto balances without requiring merchants to adopt new payment infrastructure.

Crypto Deposits and Card Funding

The deposit flow is straightforward: users initiate a transfer through the Machines interface, selecting an asset and network. The platform generates a dynamic deposit route specific to the asset and network chosen, and range-checks the amount before confirming. Once deposited funds are processed, the account balance becomes available for card spending.

Supported deposit assets span multiple chains. SOL and Solana-based tokens are accepted alongside Bitcoin, Hedera's HBAR, and USDC on Base, with broader EVM chain support documented. The platform does not require users to convert to a single stablecoin before depositing; each asset has its own deposit mechanism.

Virtual VISA Card Management

Cards issued by machines.cash are USD-denominated virtual Visa instruments. Each card carries encrypted PAN and CVC data, returned as AES-128-GCM encrypted blobs via the API. The design keeps raw card details from appearing in browser contexts: only a server-side process with the correct decryption key can reveal the actual card number and security code.

Card controls are granular. Spending limits can be set per authorization or over rolling periods: 24-hour, 7-day, 30-day, yearly, and all-time lifetime caps are all configurable. Users can lock or unlock cards to pause and resume spending, update limits at any time, organize cards into folders, and delete a card for immediate cancellation. This makes machines.cash cards suitable for vendor-specific spending controls, temporary access to payment methods, or testing payment flows where the primary card should not be exposed.

Agentic Payments

A distinctive part of the machines.cash product is its agentic payments system, which lets AI assistants execute purchases on a user's behalf. The flow covers product search, purchase initiation, and action handling — including 3DS verification codes and confirmations. An agent that has access to a user's Machines account and saved payment details can complete a purchase from a natural-language prompt; the documentation gives "buy these apple airpods pro on amazon using my default card" as an example command.

This flow is available across multiple interfaces. A purchase started in one interface (the CLI, for instance) can have its pending confirmation actions handled in another, such as the native app or an MCP client. The system treats all interfaces as equivalent surfaces for the same underlying account state.

Access Interfaces

machines.cash offers several ways to interact with an account beyond the native app:

The CLI is a terminal tool covering login, KYC, balance and transaction checking, deposit, card management, and agentic payments. CLI deposits are crypto-only and require the exact token on the exact network displayed by the tool.

The MCP (Model Context Protocol) integration is a generic connector that allows any MCP-compatible AI client to interact with a Machines account. This makes the platform reachable from Claude, Cursor, and other tools that support MCP servers without requiring a custom integration per tool.

Named integrations also exist for specific AI environments — Claude plugins, Codex, and Clawdbot — each routing through the same underlying account.

The Partner API is a documented REST API with session-token authentication and scope-based permissions. The bootstrap endpoint authenticates by verifying a wallet signature, returning both an API key and a session token. The API covers the full account surface: KYC, identity management, deposits, withdrawals, balances, transactions, card lifecycle, subscriptions, collateral contract interactions, referrals, notifications, and billing. Consumer and partner surfaces are separated, with the partner API intended for building Machines functionality into third-party applications.

Authentication and Security Model

Access to the API uses Bearer session tokens scoped to specific operations. Sensitive operations require narrower scopes than general account reads. Encrypted card secrets are retrieved through a separate session-gated flow, so the decrypted PAN and CVC never leave the user's own process. The bootstrap flow requires a wallet signature, tying account access to on-chain identity.

KYC is required before cards can be issued. The verification flow covers personal information, identity document checks, and acceptance of applicable terms.

Collateral Contracts

The platform documentation references collateral contract interactions as a distinct API category, with a smart-contract component deployed on Base. The exact mechanics of the collateral system are covered in the partner API documentation rather than the public-facing docs.

Background

machines.cash launched in late 2025. The team includes builders @alexanderchopan, @ardaerturk, and @hennadios, with card issuance provided through @raincards. The platform had a waitlist period in October 2025 before opening broader access.

The product targets a growing segment of infrastructure connecting decentralized asset custody to conventional merchant payment rails. The CLI and MCP integrations are first-class features rather than developer add-ons, built around programmatic account management and AI-agent payment initiation from the outset.