The Future of AI and Blockchain Integration: MicroPay Wins Built Prize at TOKEN2049 Hackathon
The MicroPay team, one of five finalists and a winner of the Built Prize at the hackathon. Image source: @PolkadotAPAC on X
[Zurich, Switzerland – October 6th, 2025] – The fusion of AI and blockchain reached a new milestone at a 36-hour hackathon at the TOKEN2049, Asia’s leading crypto conference. Among the event’s standout projects, MicroPay, a system enabling cross-chain micropayments for AI agents using Hyperbridge, a Polkadot-based rollup, was named a category winner for its innovative use of Hyperbridge.
This victory highlights a critical role cross-chain bridges play toward a truly autonomous, agentic internet where machines can transact and collaborate without human oversight.
Revolutionizing Agentic Economies with MicroPay
The rise of agentic economies where AI agents autonomously pay for APIs, data, or services is already underway, thanks to foundational work by protocols like Coinbase’s x402. However, a major hurdle has persisted: cross-chain compatibility. MicroPay solves this by integrating modifications of x402 with Hyperbridge, a Polkadot interoperability coprocessor.
Hyperbridge enables secure, on-chain verification of cross-chain messages using advanced consensus proofs like BEEFY and zk-light clients. This unique architecture allows developers to query and send messages to disconnected chains as if they were local, while simultaneously dodging the vulnerabilities of legacy bridges.
The Efficiency of MicroPay and Hyperbridge
In a live demonstration, the MicroPay system validated Hyperbridge’s efficiency. The MicroPay process begins with the AI agent making an initial micropayment on its native chain (e.g., Base Sepolia) using the X-402 standard. Hyperbridge then converts the EVM tokens from the client’s chain to the server’s preferred chain (e.g., Ethereum Sepolia) through secure, on-chain verification of state transitions.
Hyperbridge’s architecture enables efficient data sharing, asset tokenization, and cross-chain payments without centralized intermediaries, resulting in high-speed, low-cost responses critical for real-time interactions in autonomous economies.
The Role of Hyperbridge in the Multichain Future
MicroPay’s win underscores Hyperbridge’s crucial role in enabling a verifiable, multichain future. The protocol, designed by Polytope Labs co-founders Seun Lanlege and David Salami, leverages the Interoperable State Machine Protocol (ISMP) to provide secure cross-chain requests with Polkadot’s pooled economic security.
Recent milestones have rapidly cemented Hyperbridge’s industry position, with connections to over 14 chains and significant seed funding from leading investors. As blockchain ecosystems mature, solutions like MicroPay demonstrate how robust interoperability protocols can drive adoption and empower diverse applications in DeFi, gaming, and data markets.
About Hyperbridge
Hyperbridge is the world’s safest bridge, enabling mission-critical cross-chain user experiences without centralized security models. It’s connected to over 14 chains, including Ethereum, Base, and BNB chain, and plays a key role in the Polkadot DeFi Singularity initiative.
About Polkadot
Polkadot is the powerful, secure core of Web3, offering advanced modular architecture, pooled security, and robust governance for decentralized app and blockchain development.