Cronos launches x402 hackathon for AI payment systems

A brand new initiative by Cronos opens x402 PayTech Hackathon to $42,000 in prizes for builders constructing AI-native cost functions on its not too long ago upgraded blockchain community.

Cronos has kicked off registrations for its x402 PayTech Hackathon, placing up a $42,000 pool for builders experimenting with AI-native cost rails on its blockchain stack. This system is in search of groups engaged on automated settlement flows, clever pockets tooling, and actual‑world asset cost hyperlinks that plug into each the Cronos community and Crypto.com’s broader ecosystem.

​“The x402 PayTech Hackathon represents the primary wave of real-world experimentation the place AI brokers don’t simply compute, however alternate worth, mentioned Mirko Zhao, Head of Cronos Labs instructed crypto.information. “With Cronos’ current efficiency features and its rising suite of AI-native tooling, groups now have the infrastructure they should flip agentic functions into actuality. We look ahead to seeing builders remodel these capabilities into sensible functions that advance the trade.”

Efficiency upgrades drive AI infrastructure push in latest Cronos endeavour

Latest upgrades to the Cronos network slashed gas costs by around 90%, pushed daily transactions up roughly fourfold, and brought block times below one second. With those performance gains in place, the team is pitching Cronos as a base layer for institutional tokenization projects and AI-driven financial infrastructure.​

Groups could have entry to sensible steerage, together with workshops, workplace hours, and detailed documentation on Cronos EVM, x402 programmatic funds, and the Crypto.com AI Agent SDK. Standout tasks can proceed previous the occasion by means of grants, incubator slots, or direct partnerships within the wider ecosystem.

Cronos already counts greater than 500 builders constructing on its stack and ties immediately into Crypto.com, giving profitable merchandise a path to roughly 150 million potential customers. The community ranks among the many high 15 blockchains by complete worth, securing over $6 billion in person property and logging greater than 100 million transactions since launch.​

Cronos Labs head Mirko Zhao presents the hackathon as a stay proving floor for AI brokers that deal with worth transfers, not simply background computation. The construct part runs from early December by means of late January, with groups signing up by way of DoraHacks.