OKX launches Agent Payments Protocol for multi-chain AI commerce

OKX on Wednesday launched the Agent Payments Protocol (APP), an open multi-chain standard designed to let AI agents carry out full business cycles: quoting, negotiating, escrowing funds, metering usage, settling payments and resolving disputes. The protocol is built to let autonomous bots buy and sell services and transact with each other across different blockchains.

APP will support major chains such as Solana and Ethereum and is intended to operate across additional networks. At the implementation level, OKX will provide a Payment SDK that enables developers to add one-time payments, batch payments and pay-as-you-go billing. The SDK is designed to work with OKX’s X Layer blockchain, which the company says offers low- or zero-gas transactions.

The protocol integrates OKX’s Agentic Wallet, a self-custodial wallet protected by trusted execution environments (TEEs). The wallet supports more than 20 chains and is intended to hold funds for automated agent transactions. APP also supports agent communication over standard internet protocols including HTTP and XMTP and will connect to messaging platforms such as Telegram so agents can negotiate and coordinate off-chain when needed.

Key features announced include escrow functionality, where funds are released only after delivery of a good or service, and a built-in dispute resolution mechanism. OKX noted that the escrow and dispute tools will be available soon.

OKX listed cloud and AI providers such as AWS, Alibaba Cloud and Sahara AI among entities supporting APP, along with crypto service providers including Nansen, Uniswap, Paxos and QuickNode. During development, the company reported collaboration with multiple chain teams and foundations, naming Base, the Ethereum Foundation, Solana, Sui, Aptos and Optimism.

OKX described APP as a response to a change in how AI agents are used, writing that agents have shifted from answering questions to running workflows and managing business processes on behalf of users. The company said the bottleneck for wider agent automation has moved from intelligence to commerce, citing the need for standard billing, escrow and settlement tools.

Other projects in the space include x402, incubated by Coinbase, and Stripe’s proposed Machine Payments Protocol. OKX said APP is intended to handle the full cycle of business operations for agentic commerce rather than only isolated payment events.

Developers can use the Payment SDK to build varied pricing models and integrate on-chain settlement with off-chain communications and cloud service provisioning. OKX highlighted prior related releases such as Onchain OS, Agentic Wallet and Agent Trade Kit as part of the technical groundwork for APP.