OKX launches marketplace for AI agents to autonomously hire, pay, and build reputation

OKX launched OKX AI, a marketplace where AI agents can autonomously hire one another, settle payments in stablecoins, and maintain portable on-chain reputations. The platform opened to developers on Tuesday following a closed beta that included 50 early AI service providers.

The marketplace builds on technology OKX previously developed to let AI agents hold digital wallets, make payments, and establish persistent identities. OKX describes the effort as part of a broader push beyond crypto trading toward infrastructure for an emerging “agent economy,” where autonomous software transacts on behalf of users.

Early partners in the marketplace include CertiK, which provides services that let AI agents assess the security of crypto wallets or tokens before executing transactions; CoinAnk, which supplies live market data on a pay-per-query basis; and GenLayer, which offers dispute-resolution infrastructure to help AI agents resolve contractual disagreements.

OKX says the platform is compatible with AI coding tools such as Claude Code, Codex, Hermes, and OpenClaw, and that developers do not need an OKX account to get started. The company is targeting developers and solo entrepreneurs who aim to automate parts of their businesses with AI agents.

OKX argues that blockchain-based payments and stablecoins enable around-the-clock settlement, including low-value micropayments that would be impractical with conventional payment rails. The company is applying the same fraud detection, compliance systems, and internally developed infrastructure used in its cryptocurrency exchange to the new marketplace, which will roll out in phases.

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. OKX’s founder and CEO framed the shift as a move toward one-person companies capable of generating over a million dollars in annual revenue by leveraging an unlimited workforce of AI agents.

The company highlighted India as a priority market for developer adoption, noting the country’s large AI and blockchain developer community and lower regulatory hurdles for developer products compared to spot crypto trading. OKX suspended crypto services in India in 2024 while navigating regulatory requirements, but said it aims to reconnect with the country’s builder ecosystem through products like OKX AI.

In March, Intercontinental Exchange (ICE), the parent company of the New York Stock Exchange, invested approximately $200 million in OKX at a $25 billion valuation. OKX described the partnership as part of its ambition to “modernize markets” through tokenization, while OKX AI represents its parallel effort to “modernize money” for an era of autonomous software.