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Crypto exchange OKX wants AI agents to hire and pay each other
When AI agents begin working for people — and increasingly for one another — they will need a way to find jobs, pay for services, and build trust. Crypto exchange OKX is betting that future is closer than many expect, launching a marketplace where AI agents can hire one another, settle payments autonomously, and build portable on-chain reputations.
Called OKX AI, the marketplace opens to developers on Tuesday following a closed beta involving 50 early AI service providers. The marketplace builds on technology OKX previously developed to let AI agents hold digital wallets, make payments using stablecoins, and establish persistent identities.
The launch marks OKX’s latest push beyond crypto trading as it seeks to become a broader fintech company. With more than 150 million users globally, OKX is betting the next generation of customers will not just be people or institutions, but AI agents capable of transacting autonomously, giving rise to an emerging “agent economy.”
“The coming decade will be defined by one-person companies that generate over a million dollars in annual revenue – because every individual effectively gains an unlimited workforce,” Star Xu, founder and CEO of OKX, told TechCrunch. “Traditional financial infrastructure was built for humans. The agentic economy needs infrastructure designed for autonomous software. That is why we built OKX.AI.”
Haider Rafique, OKX’s chief marketing officer and global managing partner, said the company believes “agentic commerce” could become a trillion-dollar market over the next five years, driven by micropayments and autonomous software.
The marketplace is aimed at crypto developers building AI applications and solo entrepreneurs looking to automate parts of their businesses with AI agents, Rafique told TechCrunch. The company expects those developers to build applications for the marketplace, allowing other users to access AI-powered tools without having to build them from scratch.
Among the early builders are CertiK, whose service lets AI agents assess the security of a crypto wallet or token before executing a transaction, and CoinAnk, which provides live market data on a pay-per-query basis. GenLayer, another launch partner, is bringing dispute-resolution infrastructure to the marketplace to help AI agents resolve contractual disagreements.
By using blockchain-based payments and stablecoins, the company says AI agents can settle transactions around the clock, including low-value micropayments that would be impractical using conventional payment rails.
Rafique said OKX is applying the same fraud detection, compliance systems, and internally developed infrastructure that underpin its cryptocurrency exchange to the marketplace, which will be rolled out in phases before becoming more widely available.
OKX’s launch comes as technology companies and startups race to build the infrastructure that will underpin AI agents, from developer platforms and marketplaces to payment and identity systems. Albert Castellana, co-founder and CEO of GenLayer Labs, said the biggest challenge is not simply enabling AI agents to transact, but helping them discover one another and resolve disputes when things go wrong.
“What we’re building is essentially a digital court system,” Castellana told TechCrunch. “The challenge for us is distribution. OKX already has that.”
Rafique argues that OKX’s biggest advantage is not simply its technology but its reach. The company believes its existing network of crypto developers and users will help seed the marketplace, while its broader strategy extends well beyond digital assets.
In March, Intercontinental Exchange (ICE), the parent company of the New York Stock Exchange, invested about $200 million in OKX at a $25 billion valuation. Rafique said the partnership is part of the company’s ambition to “modernize markets” through tokenization, while OKX AI represents its parallel effort to “modernize money” for an era of autonomous software.
Developers access the marketplace through Onchain OS, OKX’s toolkit for connecting AI agents to blockchain-based services. The company said no OKX account is required to get started, and the platform is compatible with AI coding tools including Claude Code, Codex, Hermes, and OpenClaw.
Because the marketplace is aimed first at developers rather than retail users, India features prominently in OKX’s plans. The country has emerged as one of the world’s largest hubs for AI and blockchain developers, a community the company hopes to reach even before a broader return of its crypto trading business.
In 2024, OKX suspended its services in India as it navigated the country’s regulatory requirements for crypto exchanges. Rafique told TechCrunch that India remains one of the company’s highest-priority markets, adding that developer products such as OKX AI face fewer regulatory hurdles than spot crypto trading and could help the company reconnect with the country’s builder ecosystem sooner.
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Human rights activist Maduabuchi Idam has said the promise by the Minister of Works, Dave Umahi, to deliver Ebonyi State to President Bola Tinubu in 2027 is a political ruse.
Idam likened Umahi's promise to an empty barrel of a gun making noise without shooting.
In a statement he signed, the constitutional lawyer said Umahi and the state governor, Francis Nwifuru, should provide functional healthcare facilities and electricity across the state before making such promises.
According to Idam: "The promise of delivering Ebonyi State to President Tinubu is a political ruse, almost like an empty-barrelled gun that makes a loud noise without firing a shot.
"There is no convincing dividend of governance to justify such an expectation. No one sings the Lord’s song in a strange land.
"Umahi and Nwifuru should begin by providing functional primary healthcare facilities and addressing the persistent electricity challenges in Afikpo and other communities across Ebonyi State.
"Governance must first be felt by the people before political loyalty in the form of votes can reasonably be demanded of them.
'Otherwise, the disappointment at the polls may be louder than the chants in the stadium.
"Amasiri needs a functional primary healthcare centre and the release of its people who are being maliciously prosecuted, while Afikpo in general needs a reliable electricity supply."
2027: Umahi, Nwifuru’s promise to deliver Ebonyi political ruse – Lawyer to Tinubu
News
Our Country Is Not Dead’ — Sunday Oliseh Hails World Cup-Winning Flamingos, Warns NFF Against Making Dangerous Mistake With Golden Generation
Former Super Eagles captain and head coach Sunday Oliseh has celebrated Nigeria’s historic FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup triumph, declaring that the Flamingos’ remarkable achievement has proved that the country still possesses exceptional football talent, while warning the Nigeria Football Federation against restricting the development of the victorious youngsters, Sports247.ng reports.
Oliseh expressed particular satisfaction that many members of the World Cup-winning squad emerged from Nigeria’s domestic football system, describing their success as a powerful response to those who have repeatedly questioned the quality of home-based players.
The former Nigerian international insisted that the Flamingos’ achievement must become a turning point for grassroots football development rather than merely another moment of national celebration.
“Those who say, ‘Sunday, they always shout home-based, home-based.’ No, no, no. See them now, these ones are home-based. So we still get quality. Our country is not dead,” Oliseh declared.
The former Borussia Dortmund and Juventus midfielder stressed that the players’ achievement should receive sustained publicity to inspire other talented youngsters across the country.
“The multiplier effect now is like, it has to be publicised. For those who are following, let’s let them know what these girls have done. They’ve shown talent,” he explained.
However, Oliseh warned that Nigeria must avoid making the mistake of concentrating exclusively on the victorious squad without creating opportunities for other promising players.
According to him, keeping the World Cup winners together is important, but the NFF must simultaneously strengthen the team by introducing fresh talents.
“You can’t say, ‘Let’s keep them together.’ No. You have to try to keep them together, but you have to now integrate more, more,” he stated.
“If you keep them together, you create an elitist group. Keep them together, but you have to add more.”
Oliseh believes this approach would allow the achievements and experience of the World Cup champions to positively influence other emerging players, creating a stronger foundation for Nigeria’s future women’s national teams.
The former Super Eagles captain also emphasised that developing a successful football structure should involve more than celebrating one generation of players.
For Oliseh, the challenge is ensuring that Nigeria builds on the Flamingos’ achievement by identifying additional talents and creating a pathway for their progression through the national-team system.
Nigeria defeated Japan 2-1 in the final in Morocco, becoming the first African nation to win the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup.
While Nigerians continue celebrating the historic achievement, Oliseh’s message to football administrators is unmistakable: preserve the winning foundation, open the door to new talents and ensure that the Flamingos’ success becomes the beginning of something even greater.
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