OBOOK Holdings Inc. (OWLS) to Adopt x402 Standard to Unlock AI Agent Revenue for Global Merchants

Rhea-AI Summary

OBOOK Holdings (NASDAQ: OWLS) plans to integrate its OwlPay Checkout with the x402 open standard to enable merchants to receive payments initiated by AI agents. OwlTing says OwlPay will verify AI-initiated requests and settle funds instantly in regulated digital or fiat currencies within a compliance framework. The company cites a >4,700% rise in AI-driven U.S. retail web traffic and McKinsey estimates of up to US$1 trillion in U.S. B2C Agentic Commerce opportunity by 2030 (US$3–5 trillion globally). OwlTing holds MTLs in 39 U.S. states, a VASP license in Europe, and a Banking API license in Japan, and says it is pursuing additional licenses in Hong Kong, Singapore, and key Latin American markets.

Positive

• AI-driven traffic to U.S. retail sites surged +4,700%
• McKinsey projects up to US$1 trillion U.S. B2C Agentic Commerce by 2030
• Holds Money Transmitter Licenses in 39 U.S. states
• Has a VASP license in Europe and a Banking API license in Japan

Negative

• Licensing gaps remain: not yet licensed in Hong Kong, Singapore, and key Latin American markets
• No disclosed signed commercial contracts or revenue guidance tied to x402 integration

Key Figures

AI traffic surge 4,700% Increase in AI-driven traffic to U.S. retail websites over the past year

U.S. AI commerce potential US$1 trillion Estimated U.S. B2C Agentic Commerce opportunity by 2030

Global AI commerce potential US$3–5 trillion Estimated global Agentic Commerce opportunity as automated flows scale

U.S. MTL coverage 39 states Money Transmitter Licenses held across U.S. states

VASP license 1 license Virtual Asset Service Provider license in Europe

Japan payment license 1 license Electronic Payment Intermediary Service Provider (Banking API) license in Japan

Current share price $6.29 Price before AI/x402 announcement, near 52-week low of $6

52-week high $90 Pre-news 52-week high, with shares down 93.01% from that level

Market Reality Check

$6.45 Last Close

Volume Volume 53,335 is below 20-day average 67,815 (relative volume 0.79x) ahead of this AI integration update. normal

Technical Shares trade below the 200-day MA, with price at $6.29 versus MA $9.96, and sit well under the $90 52-week high.

Historical Context

Date	Event	Sentiment	Move	Catalyst
Dec 31	Share repurchase	Positive	+10.1%	Commencement of previously authorized <b>$10M</b> Class A share buyback program.
Dec 29	Earnings update	Positive	+6.0%	H1 2025 results, growing payment services and nearing core infrastructure completion.
Dec 26	Conference scheduling	Neutral	-2.0%	Rescheduled H1 2025 results release and webcast to December 29, 2025.
Dec 24	Earnings date notice	Neutral	-2.6%	Announcement of reporting date and call for H1 2025 financial results.
Dec 22	CEO letter	Positive	+3.6%	Year-end CEO letter outlining compliance-first stablecoin and licensing strategy.

Pattern Detected

Recent news skewed positive (buybacks, earnings, strategy) with mostly positive price alignment, while neutral scheduling headlines saw mild downside.

Recent Company History

Over late Dec 2025, OWLS highlighted financial execution and capital return: a $10M share repurchase program, unaudited H1 2025 results with $3.84M revenue and narrowed losses, and a Nasdaq direct listing on Oct 16, 2025. Strategy updates emphasized stablecoin infrastructure, Visa and Circle integrations, and a compliance‑first footprint including money transmitter licenses in 39–40 U.S. states, a Japan API license, and a European VASP license. The current AI/x402 announcement extends this prior focus on regulated payment rails into agent-driven commerce.

Market Pulse Summary

This announcement details OwlTing’s plan to integrate its OwlPay Checkout with the x402 standard, positioning it as the merchant “digital cash register” for AI-agent payments. It highlights a regulatory footprint including 39 U.S. Money Transmitter Licenses, a European VASP license, and a Japan Banking API license, aiming to convert AI-initiated instructions into compliant revenue. Historically, investors have responded most positively to concrete financial milestones and buybacks, so tracking actual transaction volumes, merchant adoption, and subsequent earnings updates will be important.

Key Terms

AI agents technical

"x402 ecosystem, an open standard introduced by Coinbase designed to enable AI agents"

AI agents are computer programs designed to perform tasks or make decisions automatically, often by learning from data and adapting to new information. They act like virtual assistants or robots that can handle complex activities without human intervention, which can help businesses and individuals save time and improve efficiency. For investors, AI agents matter because they can enhance decision-making and automate processes that influence markets and financial outcomes.

Agentic Commerce technical

"Without this operational bridge, Agentic Commerce cannot scale."

Agentic commerce is buying and selling driven by autonomous digital agents — such as smart apps, bots, or AI assistants — that act on a person’s or business’s behalf to find, compare, negotiate and execute transactions. Investors should care because these agents can change who controls customer relationships, cut costs and speed up sales like a personal shopper that never sleeps, but they also shift competitive dynamics, data value and regulatory risk for platforms and retailers.

Money Transmitter Licenses regulatory

"holding Money Transmitter Licenses (MTLs) in 39 U.S. states"

Money transmitter licenses are official permissions granted by government authorities that allow a business to legally transfer money between people or entities. They ensure that companies handling financial transactions follow rules designed to protect consumers and prevent fraud. For investors, these licenses are important because they demonstrate that a business operates within legal boundaries and adheres to financial safety standards.

VASP license regulatory

"a VASP license in Europe, and an Electronic Payment Intermediary"

A VASP license is an official permission from a financial regulator that allows a business to legally provide services involving cryptocurrencies or other digital assets—such as exchanges, wallet providers, custodians, or brokers. For investors, a VASP license is like a safety and trust stamp: it indicates the firm meets rules for security, record-keeping, and anti-money-laundering, which lowers regulatory and operational risk and makes the company’s business and custody of assets more reliable.

Electronic Payment Intermediary Service Provider regulatory

"an Electronic Payment Intermediary Service Provider (Banking API) license in Japan"

An electronic payment intermediary service provider is a company or platform that facilitates digital financial transactions between buyers and sellers. It acts as a secure middleman, ensuring money moves smoothly and safely from one party to another, much like a digital cashier or escrow service. For investors, these providers are vital because they enable fast, reliable online payments, supporting the growth of e-commerce and digital finance.

Banking API technical

"Electronic Payment Intermediary Service Provider (Banking API) license in Japan"

A banking API is a software doorway that lets apps and services securely connect to a bank to access accounts, move money, or get transaction and balance information. For investors, banking APIs matter because they enable faster product rollouts, partnerships, and new revenue streams while changing how customers interact with banks—like adding new sockets to a building that let more devices plug in, increasing usefulness but also creating new competitive and regulatory risks.

AI-generated analysis. Not financial advice.

Leveraging its global regulatory footprint, OwlTing aims to provide merchants the ability to accept payments from the next generation of AI buyers

ARLINGTON, Va., Jan. 08, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- OBOOK Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ: OWLS) (the "Company" or “OwlTing”), a global fintech company operating as the OwlTing Group, today announced its plan to integrate with the x402 ecosystem, an open standard introduced by Coinbase designed to enable AI agents to initiate payments natively across the web. By integrating its proprietary OwlPay Checkout solutions¹, OwlTing aims to deliver the critical merchant-side infrastructure, enabling businesses to accept and process payments initiated by AI agents.

As AI evolves from passive chatbots to active agents capable of executing complex tasks, the digital economy requires a unified financial layer. While the x402 standard provides AI agents with the capability to "send" payments, the current market lacks a compliant, standardized method for real-world businesses to "receive" them. OwlTing addresses this gap with OwlPay Checkout solutions, which is designed to verify AI-initiated requests and settle funds instantly in regulated digital currencies or fiat currencies within a rigorous compliance framework.

In simple terms, while x402 provides the "digital wallet" for AI agents, OwlTing is building the "digital cash register" for merchants. Without this operational bridge, Agentic Commerce cannot scale.

Imagine a scenario where a coffee roasting business receives an order at 2:00 AM, not from a human manager, but from a café's AI agent detecting low inventory. Using the x402 protocol, the agent initiates a purchase. OwlTing’s infrastructure instantly verifies the payment against the merchant's pre-approved parameters and settles the transaction. This process turns a digital instruction into recognized revenue with minimal human intervention.

“The promise of Agentic Commerce depends on the ability to close the loop between a digital instruction and a physical transaction,” said Darren Wang, Founder and CEO at OwlTing Group. “While x402 provides the universal language for agents to initiate value transfer, OwlPay provides the compliant checkout and settlement layer that businesses require. We are turning AI purchasing power into recognized revenue for merchants.”

“The vision of x402 is to create a web where value moves as freely as information,” added Dan Kim, Vice President of Business Development at Coinbase. “For this ecosystem to grow, it is critical that open standards connect with real-world business infrastructure. We are excited to see builders like OwlTing adopting these standards to help extend the utility of AI agents from simple browsing to future transactions.”

Over the past year, AI-driven traffic to retail websites in the United States surged by over 4,700%². McKinsey estimates that the transition toward Agentic Commerce could represent up to US$1 trillion in the U.S. B2C retail sector by 2030³, with a global opportunity reaching US$3 to 5 trillion as automated shopping and payment flows become part of everyday life.

To capture this volume, trust and compliance are critical. OwlTing is positioned with a mature regulatory footprint, holding Money Transmitter Licenses (MTLs) in 39 U.S. states⁴, a VASP license in Europe, and an Electronic Payment Intermediary Service Provider (Banking API) license in Japan, while actively pursuing additional licenses in Hong Kong, Singapore, and key Latin American markets. Building on this foundation, OwlTing plans to expand OwlPay Checkout solutions globally, ensuring that as the AI economy accelerates, merchants have the secure financial rails needed to participate in the next generation of global trade.

About OBOOK Holdings Inc.
OBOOK Holdings Inc. is a global fintech company operating as the OwlTing Group. The Company was founded and is headquartered in Taiwan, with subsidiaries in the United States, Japan, Poland, Singapore, Hong Kong, Thailand, and Malaysia. The Company operates a diversified ecosystem across payments, hospitality, and e-commerce. In 2025, according to CB Insights statistics, OwlTing was ranked among the top 2 global players in the “Enterprise & B2B” category in the digital currency sector. The Company’s mission is to use distributed ledger technology to provide businesses with more reliable and transparent data management, to reinvent global flow of funds for businesses and consumers and to lead the digital transformation of business operations. To this end, the Company introduced OwlPay, a next-gen payment solution, to empower global businesses to operate confidently in the expanding digital currency economy. For more information, visit https://www.owlting.com/portal/?lang=en.

Safe Harbor Statement
Certain statements in this announcement are forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties and are based on the Company’s current expectations and projections about future events that the Company believes may affect its financial condition, results of operations, business strategy, and financial needs. Investors can identify these forward-looking statements by words or phrases such as “may,” “could,” “will,” “should,” “would,” “expect,” “plan,” “aim,” “intend,” “anticipate,” “believe,” “estimate,” “predict,” “likely,” “potential,” “project,” or “continue,” or the negative of these terms or other comparable terminology. The Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements to reflect subsequent events or circumstances, except as required by law. Although the Company believes that the expectations expressed in these forward-looking statements are reasonable, it cannot guarantee that such expectations will prove correct. The Company cautions investors that actual results may differ materially from those anticipated and encourages investors to review other factors that may affect its future results in the Company’s registration statement filed with and declared effective by the SEC and other filings with the SEC, available at www.sec.gov.

OBOOK Holdings Inc. (OWLS) Media Relations
pr_office@owlting.com

^{___________________________________
1} All money transmission services in the United States are provided by OwlTing USA, Inc. (NMLS ID: 2324336), a wholly owned subsidiary of OBOOK Holdings Inc.
² According to Adobe Data Insights. Please see https://business.adobe.com/blog/generative-ai-powered-shopping-rises-with-traffic-to-retail-sites
³ According to McKinsey Research. Please see https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/quantumblack/our-insights/the-agentic-commerce-opportunity-how-ai-agents-are-ushering-in-a-new-era-for-consumers-and-merchants
⁴ As of December 2025, OwlTing Group has obtained MTL licenses or their equivalent in 39 U.S. states and is applying for licenses in additional states. The Company has now expanded its regulatory footprint in 40 U.S. States. For a list of U.S. licenses obtained, please see https://www.owlting.com/owlpay/licenses?lang=en.

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/c400bc48-d7f8-409b-bb80-2e348ad1fa5e

FAQ

What is OwlTing announcing about x402 and payments for merchants (OWLS)?

OwlTing will integrate OwlPay Checkout with the x402 open standard so merchants can accept payments initiated natively by AI agents.

How does OwlPay Checkout handle AI-initiated transactions for OWLS merchants?

OwlPay verifies AI-initiated requests against merchant parameters and settles funds instantly in regulated digital or fiat currencies within a compliance framework.

What regulatory licenses does OwlTing (OWLS) currently hold for global payments?

OwlTing holds Money Transmitter Licenses in 39 U.S. states, a VASP license in Europe, and a Banking API license in Japan.

What market opportunity does OwlTing cite for Agentic Commerce relevant to OWLS?

The company cites a >4,700% rise in AI-driven U.S. retail traffic and McKinsey estimates of up to US$1 trillion in U.S. B2C Agentic Commerce by 2030.

What limitations or next steps did OwlTing (OWLS) identify for global rollout?

OwlTing is pursuing additional licenses in Hong Kong, Singapore, and key Latin American markets to expand OwlPay Checkout globally.