Crypto exchange OKX is looking for AI agents to hire and pay each other

As AI agents begin to work for humans – and increasingly interact – they will need a way to find jobs, pay for services, and build trust. Crypto exchange OKX is betting that the future is closer than many expect, introducing a marketplace where AI agents can hire each other, pay payments independently, and build a tangible reputation on the chain.

Called OKX AI, the marketplace opens to developers on Tuesday following a closed beta involving the first 50 AI service providers. The marketplace builds on the technology OKX previously developed to allow AI agents to hold digital wallets, make payments using stablecoins, and achieve continuous ownership.

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 worldwide, OKX is betting that the next generation of customers will not only be individuals or institutions, but AI agents capable of doing things autonomously, creating an emerging “agent economy.”

“The next decade will be defined by one-person companies that make more than a million dollars a year – because everyone is successfully getting unlimited employees,” Star Xu, founder and CEO of OKX, told TechCrunch. “Traditional financial infrastructure is built for people. The commercial economy needs infrastructure built for independent software. That’s why we built OKX.AI.”

Haider Rafique, OKX’s chief marketing officer and global managing partner, said the firm believes “agency commerce” could become a billion-dollar market in the next five years, driven by micropayments and proprietary software.

The marketplace is aimed at crypto developers building AI applications and sole traders who want to automate parts of their business with AI agents, Rafique told TechCrunch. The company expects those developers to build apps for the marketplace, allowing other users to access powerful AI tools without building them from scratch.

Among the first developers are CertiK, whose service allows AI agents to check the safety of a crypto wallet or token before making a transaction, and CoinAnk, which provides live market data on a per-payment basis. GenLayer, another launch partner, is bringing a dispute resolution infrastructure to the marketplace to help AI brokers resolve contractual disputes.

Using blockchain-based payments and stablecoins, the company says AI agents can settle transactions around the clock, including low-cost payments that may not be possible using traditional payment methods.

Rafique said OKX uses common fraud detection, compliance programs, and internally developed infrastructure to support its cryptocurrency exchange in the market, which will be introduced in phases before becoming widely available.

OKX’s launch comes as tech companies and startups rush to build the infrastructure to support AI agents, from developer platforms and marketplaces to payment and identity systems. Albert Castellana, founder and CEO of GenLayer Labs, said the biggest challenge is not just empowering AI agents to do something, but helping them find each other and resolve conflicts when things go wrong.

“What we’re building is a digital court system,” Castellana told TechCrunch. “Our challenge is distribution. OKX already has that.”

Rafique says OKX’s biggest advantage is not just its technology but its reach. The company believes that its existing network of crypto developers and users will help generate the market, while its broader strategy extends beyond digital assets.

In March, the Intercontinental Exchange (ICE), the parent company of the New York Stock Exchange, invested about 200 million in OKX at a cost of $ 25 billion. Rafique said the partnership is part of the company’s desire to “modernize markets” through tokens, while OKX AI represents its similar effort to “modernize money” in the age of independent software.

Developers reach the marketplace with 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 primarily aimed at developers rather than retail users, India stands out in OKX’s plans. The country has emerged as one of the world’s largest hubs for AI developers and blockchain developers, a community the company hopes to reach even before the broader return of its crypto trading business.

In 2024, OKX stopped 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 top markets, adding that developer products like OKX AI face fewer regulatory hurdles than crypto trading and could help the company reconnect with the country’s developer ecosystem soon.