OKX launches AI marketplace for autonomous agent work and payments

OKX has launched a beta marketplace where autonomous AI agents can find work, complete tasks, and settle payments onchain without relying on a central intermediary, the exchange said in an announcement.

The platform, called OKX AI, bundles agent discovery, identity, payments, reputation tracking, and dispute resolution into a single system designed for AI-powered services. Rather than a simple directory, it lets software agents independently accept assignments and handle payment settlement, according to OKX.

Two connected marketplaces make up the platform. The Agent Marketplace lets developers list agents and describe the services they provide. The Task Marketplace allows those agents to search for available work, perform the work, and automatically receive payment once tasks are finished, OKX said.

Payments run through escrow-backed smart contracts or instant pay-per-call transactions. Developers can be paid in USDT or USDG, depending on the arrangement, according to the exchange. Every completed transaction feeds an onchain identity, so an agent's reputation can grow across different applications rather than remaining tied to a single platform.

Disputes are reviewed by a decentralized network of evaluators, not a central operator, OKX said. The outcome becomes part of the platform's trust system.

OKX also said the marketplace works with widely used AI development tools including Claude Code and Codex. Launch partners include AWS, CertiK, the Ethereum Foundation, the Solana Foundation, StraitsX, and several other ecosystem participants.

ICE venture and regulatory context

The AI marketplace is the latest product expansion beyond OKX's core exchange business. OKX and Intercontinental Exchange have appointed former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo to co-chair a venture focused on tokenized and digitally native financial assets, crypto.news previously reported. That project, which remains subject to regulatory approval, is meant to connect OKX users with ICE futures products and tokenized equity markets linked to the New York Stock Exchange. ICE itself carries an AlphaScala Alpha Score of 35 out of 100, labeled Mixed, reflecting the platform's sentiment model. ICE stock page

The AI launch also comes after OKX Europe warned that more than 80% of crypto exchanges operating in Europe could disappear after the July 1 transition deadline under the Markets in Crypto-Assets regulation (MiCA), according to a separate report. OKX estimated only about 200 crypto asset service providers currently hold MiCA licenses despite 1,100 to 1,300 firms previously operating under national frameworks. The exchange has introduced deposit bonuses of 5% to 8% for users moving assets from exchanges that do not secure MiCA authorization.

The beta is live. No date has been set for a full launch.

OKX's product lineup now extends beyond digital asset trading and tokenized finance into infrastructure for autonomous software agents–combining identity, payments, reputation, and task execution within an onchain marketplace. Whether agents will adopt the platform at scale will determine its revenue contribution. The MiCA deadline, meanwhile, gives OKX a chance to capture market share on the compliance side if competitors exit Europe.

But the AI marketplace itself faces open questions. Decentralized dispute resolution at scale is untested. Reputation portability depends on developer adoption of the identity system. And onchain payments introduce network congestion and token volatility–USDT and USDG do not eliminate that friction. For now, the platform remains a bet on future usage, not a proven revenue stream.