Top 5 Notable Projects in the x402 AI Payment Trend

When AI begins to pay each other autonomously, an entirely new era of commerce is opening up. The x402 protocol isn't just technology, it's the key unlocking a $30 trillion economy by 2030. Let's explore the TOP 5 pioneering projects leading this revolution.

What is x402? The Payment Frenzy for the AI Era

x402 is an open-source payment protocol launched by Coinbase in May 2025, enabling on-chain payments through HTTP by reusing the old status code 402: "Payment Required". With backing from tech giants like Coinbase, Cloudflare, Google, Visa, and Mastercard, x402 is reshaping how AI agents can automatically pay for services, APIs, and data.

In just the past 30 days, x402 has processed 408,000 transactions with a total value exceeding $500,000. The breakthrough? Average payment speed of just 200ms with gas fees under $0.0001, no account registration, no API keys, just one line of code.

What Are the Top 5 Projects in the x402 Ecosystem?

• PayAI Network: A decentralized marketplace for AI Agents on Solana, pioneering x402 adoption for automated payment processing.
• S.A.N.T.A by Virtuals: An intelligent multi-agent framework operating as an x402 Multi-Chain Facilitator, automating cross-chain blockchain workflows.
• PING: The first memecoin on the x402 protocol, experimenting with internet-native payments through a unique fair launch model.
• Virtuals Protocol: An infrastructure platform enabling creation and ownership of AI agents, deeply integrated with x402.
• AurraCloud: A decentralized cloud computing platform optimized for AI agents, with automatic payment via x402 on a pay-per-use basis.

1. PayAI Network

PayAI Network is an open-source decentralized marketplace for AI Agents on Solana, providing developers with tools and infrastructure to build AI agents focused on payments through x402, allowing agents to automatically recruit, work, and process payments in real-time.

Key Highlights:

• Pioneering x402 on Solana: PayAI was among the first projects to adopt the x402 protocol in October 2025, positioning itself as a key x402 payment facilitator on Solana.
• Superior processing speed: Can process payments as small as $0.01 in under one second.
• Zero gas fees for users: Buyers and merchants don't pay blockchain gas fees, the PayAI facilitator covers all network costs.
• Multi-chain support: Supports payment processing on Solana and EVM-compatible chains like Base, Avalanche, Sei, and IoTeX.

$PAYAI Information

• Token Name: PayAI Network
• Ticker: $PAYAI
• Token Type: Utility
• Total Supply: 1B $PAYAI
• Blockchain: Solana
• Contract address (CA): E7NgL19JbN8BhUDgWjkH8MtnbhJoaGaWJqosxZZepump

$PAYAI used for transaction fee discounts, boosting agent visibility on the marketplace, governance participation, and arbitration fee payments in disputes.

2. S.A.N.T.A

S.A.N.T.A (Swarm of Autonomous Networked Task Agents) is an AI-driven multi-agent framework operating as an x402 Multi-Chain Facilitator, transforming stablecoin micropayments into a fast and seamless agent-native transaction layer across multiple blockchains.

Key Highlights:

• Complete 5-layer architecture: Includes S.A.N.T.A Canvas (block-based builder), TARS (agent executors), MAOP (multi-agent orchestration protocol), x402 Agent Payment Protocol, and $S.A.N.T.A Multi-Chain Facilitator Layer.
• True multi-chain capability: Extends x402 to multiple ecosystems including Base, EVM-compatible chains, and non-EVM networks like Solana.
• Intelligent multi-agent framework: Enables multiple AI agents to coordinate and execute complex Web3 tasks automatically.
• 3 core ecosystems: AgentFI (agent economy), InfoFI (autonomous influence infrastructure), and Swarm Genesis (agent system replication and customization capabilities).

$S.A.N.T.A Information

• Token Name: S.A.N.T.A
• Ticker: $SANTA
• Token Type: TBA
• Total Supply: 1B $SANTA
• Blockchain: Solana, Base
• Contract address (CA): 
  • Base: 0x815269D17C10f0F3dF7249370E0c1B9efe781aa8
  • Solana: B6XRo92sVfKkWRhmYUPnebbrqcsy8g3joHHpNq7PiVXC

As of now, the project has not officially announced detailed use cases for the $SANTA token.

3. PING

PING is the first memecoin on the x402 protocol, running on Base blockchain, combining meme energy with experimental internet-native payment technology for AI agents under the slogan "no utility, just early adopter vibes."

Read More: Base Ecosystem: Where Are the Opportunities?

Key Highlights:

• First memecoin on x402: Pioneering internet-native payment experiments for AI agents on Coinbase's x402 protocol.
• Unique mint model: With just 1 USDC, users could mint 5,000 PING tokens, a model reminiscent of the 2023 inscription craze.
• Explosive community growth: Over 31,000 buyers participated in the first week after launch.
• Core micropayment token: With a market cap around $70 million, PING is the primary micropayment token in x402, focused on fast API payments.
• 100% fair launch: No private allocations, entire supply released publicly on DEXs.

Token: $PING with a total supply of 1 billion tokens on Base, launched 100% fairly with no private allocations, entire supply released publicly on DEX.

$PING Token Information

• Token Name: Ping
• Ticker: $PING
• Type: Memecoin
• Total Supply: 1,000,000,000 $PING
• Contract Address (Base): 0xd85c31854c2b0fb40aaa9e2fc4da23c21f829d46

4. Virtuals Protocol

Virtuals Protocol is an infrastructure platform enabling creation and ownership of AI agents on blockchain, deeply integrated with x402 for agents to execute automatic payments and economic interactions, developing the GAME framework for multi-agent coordination.

Key Highlights:

• "App Store for AI Agents": Platform allowing developers to create agents with distinct skills and personalities, then deploy them on blockchain.
• GAME Framework: Generalized AI Multi-Agent Engine enabling multiple agents to operate simultaneously and coordinate in complex tasks
• Comprehensive automation: Combined with x402, agents can fully automate business processes from service provision to fee collection and profit distribution.
• Gaming and entertainment advantage: Particularly strong in these sectors, where AI agents create unique interactive experiences and can generate income.

$VIRTUAL Information

• Token Name: Virtual Protocol
• Ticker: $VIRTUAL
• Token Type: Utility
• Total Supply: 1B $VIRTUAL
• Blockchain: Ethereum, Base, Solana
• Contract address (CA):
  • Ethereum: 0x44ff8620b8ca30902395a7bd3f2407e1a091bf73
  • Base: 0x0b3e328455c4059eeb9e3f84b5543f74e24e7e1b

$VIRTUAL is used to stake for agents, participate in protocol governance, and receive rewards from agent activities in the ecosystem.

5. AurraCloud

AurraCloud is a decentralized cloud computing platform optimized for AI agents, connecting a network of nodes providing computing resources with users through smart contracts, natively integrating x402 for automatic pay-per-use payments.

Key Highlights:

• Decentralized computing infrastructure: Provides computational resources, storage, and bandwidth needed to operate large-scale AI agents at low cost.
• Native x402 integration: Enables automatic payment on a pay-per-use model with extremely low latency, without human intervention.
• Autonomous computing marketplace: Creates a fully automated marketplace where both supply (node providers) and demand (AI agents) are AI-controlled.
• Solving critical challenges: Provides reliable and scalable computing infrastructure for AI agents when processing complex tasks or training models.

$AURA Information

• Token Name: Aurra by Virtuals
• Ticker: $AURA
• Token Type: Utility
• Total Supply: 1B $AURA
• Blockchain: Base
• Contract address (CA): Information not publicly disclosed

$AURA is used for payments on computing services, staking nodes to provide resources, and receiving rewards for contributing to the network.

Conclusion

These projects aren't merely tokens or platforms, they're the first building blocks of an entirely new economic ecosystem. When AI agents can autonomously pay, hire services, and create value without human intervention, the boundary between users and providers will gradually blur.

FAQs

Q1: How is x402 different from traditional crypto payment methods?

Unlike traditional crypto payment methods, x402 is optimized for micropayments and machine-to-machine (M2M) payments, offering ~200ms speed, near-zero fees, no account or API key requirements, fully automated for AI agents.

Q2: Why are giants like Google and Visa supporting x402?

Google and Visa actively support x402 because it opens up a $30 trillion AI payment market by 2030, creating new standards for agentic commerce and the Internet of Things.

Q3: Which tokens in the TOP 5 are suitable for long-term investors?

$PAYAI and $VIRTUAL have clear utility within their ecosystems, while $PING carries high meme characteristics. Always DYOR before investing in any token.

Q4: What can AI agents use x402 for?

AI agents use x402 to automatically purchase data, pay API fees, rent computing power, pay for content, and even hire other agents, completely autonomously.

Q5: How to track x402 transaction activity?

Visit the PayAI x402 Facilitator tracker or blockchain explorers like Solscan (Solana) and Basescan (Base) to view real-time transactions.