X Pay, a payment infrastructure provider for AI agents, has raised $1 million from nine investors. The funding will fuel its expansion and support for the x402 standard.
TL;DR
- X Pay raises $1M to scale its payment infrastructure for AI agents and APIs, enabling seamless transactions and monetization.
- The funding will support expansion to BNB Chain and Solana, a security review, and EU compliance work, including MiCA preparation.
- X Pay's gateway allows endpoints to quote prices, accept payments, and return responses in a single request, settling in USDC on Base.
What happened
X Pay, a payment infrastructure provider for AI agents and APIs built on the open x402 standard, has secured $1 million from nine investors, including DCI, Skyland Ventures, Zerra Ventures, and Dubai Blockchain Lab. Former OKX Chief Operating Officer Andy Cheung, who now runs K25.ai, has joined as an advisor.
The company addresses a growing gap in the AI ecosystem, where AI agents can discover and decide to use APIs but lack the means to pay without human-set accounts, keys, and cards. X Pay's gateway enables any endpoint to quote a price, accept a signed payment, and return its response in a single request, settling in USDC on Base.
Since going live on Base mainnet in September 2026, X Pay has settled over 50,000 payments. The company charges a flat 1% of settled volume and holds no customer funds.
Why it matters
For AI/ML developers, X Pay's infrastructure simplifies the monetization of APIs, enabling previously unviable services to generate revenue. The gateway's agent wallet controls, including per-call ceilings and human approval thresholds, ensure secure and manageable transactions.
Startup founders can leverage X Pay's infrastructure to build and scale AI agents that can seamlessly transact with APIs. The expansion to BNB Chain and Solana will provide additional opportunities for developers and startups in the AI space.
Tech investors should note that X Pay's business model, with a flat 1% fee and no customer funds held, presents a scalable and low-risk investment opportunity. The company's focus on EU compliance and MiCA preparation also indicates a commitment to regulatory adherence, which is crucial for long-term success.
Key facts
- X Pay raises $1 million from nine investors, including DCI, Skyland Ventures, Zerra Ventures, and Dubai Blockchain Lab.
- Former OKX Chief Operating Officer Andy Cheung joins as an advisor.
- X Pay's gateway enables endpoints to quote prices, accept payments, and return responses in a single request, settling in USDC on Base.
- The company has settled over 50,000 payments since going live on Base mainnet in September 2026.
- X Pay charges a flat 1% of settled volume and holds no customer funds.
- The funding will support expansion to BNB Chain and Solana, a security review, and EU compliance work, including MiCA preparation.
- X Pay did not create the x402 standard but built the layer that turns it into an operable business, enabling millions of APIs to charge for services previously too small to monetize.
Context
The AI ecosystem is rapidly evolving, with AI agents becoming increasingly capable of performing complex tasks. However, the lack of seamless payment infrastructure has been a significant barrier to the monetization of APIs and the growth of AI agents.
X Pay's solution addresses this gap by providing a secure and efficient payment gateway for AI agents and APIs. The company's focus on the open x402 standard, contributed to the Linux Foundation by Coinbase, ensures interoperability and broad adoption.
As the AI industry continues to grow, the demand for robust payment infrastructure will only increase. X Pay's recent funding and expansion plans position the company to play a crucial role in this evolving landscape.
