Crypto exchange OKX has launched an open protocol designed to let AI agents carry out full business transactions, extending machine payments into end-to-end commercial activity.
Summary
- OKX has launched an open Agent Payments Protocol designed to let AI agents handle full business transactions, including quoting, escrow, and settlement.
- The exchange said existing agentic payment systems do not support complete transaction cycles, with escrow and dispute resolution features still under development.
According to OKX, the Agent Payments Protocol enables AI systems to handle not only payments but also quoting, negotiating, escrow, usage tracking, settlement, and dispute handling within a single framework.
“In the past few months, AI agents moved from answering questions to running workflows, managing business processes, and acting autonomously on behalf of users,” OKX stated, adding that “the bottleneck shifted from intelligence to commerce, not just paying, but the full cycle of doing business.”
Protocol expands scope beyond machine payments
OKX said existing systems, such as x402, focus mainly on enabling transactions between machines, while APP is designed to support the entire lifecycle of commercial interactions.
“Existing agentic payment solutions handle none of this,” OKX said, referring to processes such as escrow and dispute resolution, which the company plans to roll out in upcoming updates.
The protocol has been built as an open standard compatible across multiple blockchains, with Ethereum and Solana among the supported networks. OKX said its Payment SDK allows developers to integrate one-time, batch, and pay-as-you-go transactions using its X Layer blockchain, with low or zero gas costs.
A self-custodial Agentic Wallet secured through trusted execution environments forms part of the system, supporting more than 20 chains. OKX added that the protocol enables communication between agents through HTTP and XMTP, while also integrating messaging platforms such as Telegram.
Escrow functionality will allow funds to be released only after service delivery, while built-in dispute resolution tools are under development, according to the company.
Industry activity builds around agent commerce
The launch comes as firms across the sector work on infrastructure for AI-led transactions. Coinbase has expanded its x402 ecosystem with Agentic.market, where AI agents can discover and pay for services without API keys, based on statements from Coinbase product lead Nick Prince.
Prince said the platform is designed to “give humans and their agents access to thousands of services, with zero API keys required,” while also describing it as “a storefront for discovering, comparing, and using x402 services.”
Infrastructure backed by Stripe has also focused on building networks suited for high-volume machine transactions, while firms such as Amazon Web Services and Alibaba Cloud have supported development of agentic payment standards.
At the blockchain level, OKX said it collaborated with ecosystems including Base, Ethereum Foundation, Sui, Aptos, and Optimism.
“Built on years of accumulation in on-chain infrastructure and AI, and co-created with a group of outstanding partners,” said OKX Global CEO Star Xu, adding that the protocol is “the key step that brings the Agent economy to real-world implementation.”
Rollout follows institutional and infrastructure push
The release builds on OKX’s recent expansion in institutional services. The exchange integrated BitGo’s off-exchange settlement system in the U.S., allowing firms to trade while keeping assets under third-party custody.
Under the arrangement, BitGo acts as custodian and settlement provider, reducing the need for pre-funded exchange accounts. OKX said the setup improves capital efficiency for institutional clients.
“Institutional capital entering crypto requires capital to be protected and to be put to work,” said Roshan Robert, OKX U.S. CEO and former Barclays director, adding that the BitGo partnership gives clients flexibility in securing assets while maintaining trading access.
BitGo, in its IPO filing, warned that off-exchange settlement carries operational and counterparty risks, including processing errors, delays in asset transfers, cybersecurity incidents, and reconciliation failures.
With APP, OKX has positioned its latest release as infrastructure for AI-driven transactions that extends from payments to full business execution.
