x402 Smoke gradually rises as multiple parties enter the battlefield

Author: Haotian; Source: X, @tmel0211

The scent of war in the x402 track is already faintly detectable:

1. The Launchpad battle is about to begin. @pingobserver is personally taking the stage to create suspense around the c402 Market, aiming to empower the $PING token with a positive flywheel effect, but this is just the beginning of the battle.

x420 Dev has abandoned the somewhat lackluster launch method and actively embraced the innovative “Pay to X” concept proposed by xEcho @agileadtodark; @memeputer seems to have a dev integrating shopping, NFT, trading, and other scenarios through Agent + Pay standards. Similar projects include @awenetwork_ai… In short, many differentiated launchpads will emerge, challenging Bounding Curve and exploring fair, fun, and practical token launch methods.

2. Competition in the Facilitator track is also fierce. $PAYAI token migration is underway, the Solana x402 Hackathon is in full swing, and @star_okx has entered the x402 track with the xlayer ecosystem. The Base ecosystem is also expanding globally with Coinbase CDP; @MetisL2 has introduced GMPayer and integrated technologies like ZKP, TEE to support Agents for cross-chain autonomous payments, among others. There are many more.

As always, the barrier to entry for Facilitator is low, but the battle for payment channels among Facilitators rivals the early DeFi aggregator and liquidity pool wars, promising a thriving multi-chain scene where Facilitators compete fiercely.

3. As the infrastructure role in the x402 track, Providers are not very visible but may become key drivers of the track’s progress, leveraging their experience and resources as veterans. @questflow is actively promoting multi-chain x402 Facilitators and collaborating with Mantle, Xlayer, and others; $dreams once had an FDV over 40M and is praised by the community as a new dragon.

Variables are still unpredictable. I don’t think the Provider role will be the focus of recent hype, but confidence in the x402 track should be built by observing what they are doing.

That’s all.

In other areas, Scanner competition is also intense. @x402scan is iterating rapidly, and 8004scan now supports ERC8004. @yq_acc has been advocating continuously. While the competition around indexers is less lively, it remains crucial. As mentioned before, in an open x402 track without standards, a new “L2Beat” will emerge from Scanner.

Regarding the Agent application market, I won’t elaborate here. Many veteran Agents, especially those from @virtuals_io, are seeking new opportunities through new payment features. However, a group of new Utility Agents, particularly in GameFi and SocialFi, seem to be brewing something. We look forward to their rapid emergence, which could open up new possibilities for Agents applications.