Hedera has launched Agent Accounts, which it describes as programmable, non-custodial spending accounts that let AI agents transact within rules set by users and enforced onchain.
According to the announcement, the accounts are designed for tasks such as paying for APIs, acquiring data, settling invoices, and making purchases on a user’s behalf, while private keys stay inside the user’s wallet.
User wallets remain in control of funds
Agent Accounts are funded from a user’s existing Hedera wallet and created separately for a designated agent. Hedera said this does not mean handing an agent full control of the user’s account.
Through a web application, users can connect a wallet, assign an agent, and set a total spending allowance, a daily cap, a per-transaction cap, and allowlists for merchants and recipients.
Those rules are written into Hedera smart contracts rather than stored on company servers, and no one other than the user can modify them.
Agents do not hold balances directly
Funds do not leave the user’s account before a purchase takes place. The agent itself does not hold a balance. Instead, it sends a spending request to a smart contract, which validates the request and executes it if the rules are met.
Users can also pause or revoke an agent’s spending permissions from their wallet with one click.
Payment rails and service stack
Hedera said the feature is supported by Agentic Payment Services, including an MCP server, REST API, and relayer.
The network said any agent that can use MCP or REST can integrate with the system. Payments can be made in HBAR, USDC, or other Hedera tokens, and the setup is compatible with x402.
Each policy, transaction, and agent action is recorded on the Hedera Consensus Service, according to the announcement.
Testnet and mainnet timeline
Hedera’s roadmap calls for a limited-partner testnet in the fourth quarter of 2026, a public testnet in the first quarter of 2027, and a target mainnet launch in the second quarter of 2027, subject to security review and legal sign-off.