source: techcrunch ai: crypto exchange okx wants ai agents to hire and pay each other
level: business
crypto exchange okx is launching a marketplace called okx ai where ai agents can hire one another, settle payments autonomously, and build portable on-chain reputations. the marketplace opens to developers on tuesday after a closed beta with 50 early ai service providers. it builds on technology that lets ai agents hold digital wallets, make payments using stablecoins, and establish persistent identities. okx sees this as part of a broader push beyond crypto trading into fintech, targeting an emerging agent economy where ai agents transact independently.
the marketplace is aimed at crypto developers and solo entrepreneurs who want to automate parts of their businesses with ai agents. early builders include certik, which lets agents assess wallet or token security before transactions, and coinank, which provides live market data on a pay-per-query basis. genlayer offers dispute-resolution infrastructure to help agents resolve contractual disagreements. by using blockchain-based payments and stablecoins, agents can settle transactions around the clock, including low-value micropayments that are impractical with conventional payment rails. okx applies its existing fraud detection and compliance systems to the marketplace.
okx believes its existing network of over 150 million users and crypto developers will help seed the marketplace. the company also sees india as a key market due to its large community of ai and blockchain developers, even as it navigates regulatory requirements for crypto trading there. developers access the marketplace through onchain os, a toolkit for connecting ai agents to blockchain services, with no okx account required. the platform is compatible with ai coding tools like claude code and codex. okx's chief marketing officer haider rafique said agentic commerce could become a trillion-dollar market in five years, driven by micropayments and autonomous software.
why it matters: this marketplace could provide infrastructure for autonomous ai agents to transact and collaborate, enabling new business models and micropayment economies in ai and data science.
source: techcrunch ai: crypto exchange okx wants ai agents to hire and pay each other