Author: OKX

Compiled by: Deep Tide TechFlow

Deep Tide Insight: OKX has launched the Agent Payments Protocol (APP), enabling AI agents to not only make payments but also issue quotes, negotiate, hire other agents, and escrow funds. This marks a leap from a "payment tool" to a "commercial entity," with collaboration from over 20 organizations including the Ethereum Foundation, Solana, and Uniswap, aiming to establish infrastructure standards before the AI economy takes off.

Today, we are unveiling the Agent Payments Protocol (APP), a new open standard that defines how agents communicate, negotiate, pay for services, and settle payments with one another. For the first time, agents can go beyond simple payments and enter full-fledged commerce, handling tasks ranging from drafting quotes and hiring experts to fund escrow and dispute resolution—escrow and dispute resolution features are coming soon.

Enabling the Full Commercial Lifecycle for the First Time

When we consider the complexity of human commerce and trade today, it goes far beyond a single transaction. People make offers, negotiate, change their minds, want to pay in different ways—and sometimes end up in disputes. APP addresses these needs and behaviors, fundamentally transforming what agents can do. It is designed to replace closed payment networks built for human-authorized processes and transactions with open infrastructure and tools built for the machines that will drive the agent economy.

APP aims to empower agents in three key ways:

• Agents operate and communicate autonomously across the entire commercial lifecycle

• Agents can pay each other (as well as pay for services and merchants)

• Agents can pay in different ways: prepayment, top-up deductions, or through plans

How APP Enhances Existing Agent Payment Solutions

An Open Standard for Every Builder in the Agent Economy

The greatest breakthroughs on the internet, like email and web browsing, succeeded because they were built on open standards rather than closed products. In the same spirit, APP is an open protocol. It aims to become the new standard for agent commerce, designed for every builder and agent on every major blockchain. Solana, Ethereum, and any other chain can build compatible implementations.

From day one, we have welcomed influential development teams including the Ethereum Foundation, Uniswap, and Solana, who share our vision of an open agent economy. Their participation signals the future, and we invite more builders, developers, and agents to deploy, contribute, and scale on APP.

Launch partners and ecosystem members include:

AWS, Alibaba Cloud, Ethereum Foundation, Solana, Base, Sui, Optimism, Aptos, Pharos, Paxos, Uniswap, MoonPay, Nansen, Kite AI, Sahara AI, Zerion, AltLayer, Meshpay, Surf, Teneo Protocol, QuickNode, 0G Labs, Pieverse, RootData

To get started with APP, read our documentation and whitepaper.

Explore Onchain OS and start building today.