What is PayAI Network ($PAYAI)? Inside the x402-Powered AI Economy

The x402 payment protocol became the hottest topic in crypto during October 2025, and PayAI Network was among the first tokens to ride the wave.

what is payai net

PayAI stood out for its rapid adoption and real-world use cases through x402 protocol. So, what is PayAI and how does it work?

What is PayAI Network?

PayAI Network is an open-source, decentralized marketplace for AI Agents built on the Solana blockchain. PayAI provides developers with the tools and infrastructure needed to build AI agents that focus on payments through the x402 protocol.

PayAI enables AI agents to autonomously recruit other agents, work for, and process payments in real time, aiming to create an autonomous agentic commerce where AI can coordinate and transact seamlessly.

what is payai
PayAI’s official website: https://payai.network

When the x402 trend gained major attention in October 2025, PayAI became one of the first projects to adopt the x402 protocol and positioned itself as a key x402 payment facilitator on Solana.

How does PayAI work?

PayAI focuses on powering payments for the AI era, integrating seamlessly with key tools and protocols in the agent ecosystem 

  • MCP (Model Context Protocol): Lets developers integrate PayAI with AI workspaces like Claude Desktop, Cursor, or any MCP host. Users can browse and hire AI Agents directly from the PayAI marketplace.
  • MCPay: Runs MCP servers for any use case. For example, BizNews is an MCP server in the PayAI ecosystem that finds breaking business news. It is powered by MCPay and x402, charging just $0.05 per query.
  • x402 Protocol: A payment facilitation standard developed with contributors such as CoinbaseDev.

As an x402 facilitator, PayAI supports payment processing on Solana and EVM-compatible chains like Base, Avalanche, Sei, and IoTeX. This enables clients (whether humans or AI agents) to make programmatic payments without the need for traditional accounts, API keys, or complex authentication.

payai x402 sequence diagram
x402 facilitator’s architecture. Source: Coinbase

According to the team’s official announcement, PayAI can process payments as small as $0.01 in under one second. It offers unified endpoint access, verifying and settling payments on-chain through the x402 standard using HTTP resources. This drastically simplifies payment integration for API developers.

A notable advantage of PayAI’s facilitator design is that buyers and merchants pay no blockchain gas fees. The PayAI facilitator covers network costs and handles all verification and settlement, allowing developers to stay focused on building their products.

Users can track the usage of the PayAI x402 Facilitator across Solana and EVM chains right here.

payai dashboard
PayAI x402 Facilitator Dashboard on Dune. 

PayAI’s Services

PayAI’s main services and products include:

  • PayAI x402 Facilitator: The backbone service that lets developers quickly set up as either merchants or clients. Three pricing tiers are available ( Free, Basic, and Pro) to fit different levels of API demand.
  • x402 Echo Merchant: A free, live merchant simulator powered by x402. It lets users test their x402 clients end-to-end by simulating real merchant actions such as payment verification, settlement, and fulfillment. PayAI covers network fees and refunds all test payments.
  • Freelance AI: An open-source and always-on network where AI agents can hire and collaborate with each other. Built on libp2p, IPFS, ElizaOS, and Solana, it supports fair discovery, service listing, and automated payments. 
  • CT Agent Monetization: A way for Crypto Twitter agents to sell custom on-demand content. Users can pay instantly in their chosen tokens to request personalized agent outputs. 
  • Token Gateway: A toolkit (or service) for projects to accept payments in their own tokens and unlock exclusive features for holders. It supports membership tiers (Basic, Pro, Platinum) based on wallet holdings, giving communities access to premium dApps or AI agents.

$PAYAI Information

$PAYAI Key Metrics

Here is the information of $PAYAI

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

$PAYAI Use Case

$PAYAI serves as a utility token that powers transactions, rewards, and incentives within the PayAI ecosystem:

  • Fee discounts: $PAYAI holders receive discounts on transaction fees for contracts executed between AI agents.
  • Boosting agent visibility: $PAYAI can be used to promote agent listings in the marketplace, increasing exposure for buyer and seller agents.
  • Governance participation: $PAYAI holders will be able to submit and vote on proposals shaping PayAI’s ecosystem development.
  • Dispute arbitration: Planned feature allowing users to pay arbitration fees in $PAYAI during agent disputes or contract disagreements.

PayAI Tokenomics & Fundraising

$PAYAI Tokenomics

At launch, 100% of $PAYAI tokens are liquid

The team will subsequently repurchase 20% of the supply for the Treasury, divided as follows:

  • 10% for liquidity provision to generate fees.
  • 10% vested linearly over one year.
payai vesting schedule
PayAI Network’s Treasury vesting schedule. Source: Streamflow.

PayAI Fundraising

PayAI has not publicly disclosed any fundraising rounds or investment details.

PayAI Team

As of now, the PayAI Network team has not revealed specific team member identities or background information. The project is presented as community-driven and open-source, aligning with the broader agent economy movement.

Conclusion

PayAI Network is one of the earliest real-world implementations of the x402 protocol on Solana, bridging AI autonomy with blockchain payments. By simplifying machine-to-machine payments and offering developer-friendly tools, PayAI is building the financial backbone for the agent economy, where AI agents transact, collaborate, and create value autonomously.

Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only, not investment advice, and Whales Market is not responsible for any of your investment decisions.

FAQs

1. What is the native token of PayAI?

The native token of PayAI Network is $PAYAI, a utility token on the Solana blockchain. It powers transactions, agent payments, governance, and other functions across the PayAI ecosystem.

2. Is $PAYAI a good investment?

It’s too early to evaluate $PAYAI as an investment since the project is still in its early development stage. PayAI’s strong positioning in the x402 payment trend and Solana’s fast ecosystem growth make it worth watching, but investors should always do their own research (DYOR) and consider the risks before investing.

Key risks to consider:

  • Market volatility: $PAYAI’s price may fluctuate based on external trading activity.
  • Regulatory uncertainty: Digital asset rules vary by jurisdiction and may affect token usage.
  • Utility dependence: The token’s value relies on the platform’s growth and adoption.
  • Speculative nature: $PAYAI should not be treated as an investment for guaranteed profit.
  • Security risks: Loss of private keys or misuse of wallets can lead to permanent fund loss.

3. What is PayAI ($PAYAI) pre-market price?

As of now, no official pre-market or presale price for $PAYAI has been announced. The token launched with 100% liquidity and no private fundraising rounds disclosed.

4. What is the price of PayAI ($PAYAI) today?

The current market price of $PAYAI can be checked on CoinGecko, CoinMarketCap, Solana explorers or DEX tracking platforms such as DexScreener, or Jupiter Terminal by searching its contract address: E7NgL19JbN8BhUDgWjkH8MtnbhJoaGaWJqosxZZepump.

5. How much has PayAI ($PAYAI) raised?

According to the project’s public information, PayAI has not disclosed any fundraising or seed investment rounds. The token was launched as a fully liquid and community-driven project on Solana.