The Solana network is turning up the heat on its x402 Hackathon, which kicked off just a few days ago on October 28, 2025. If you're into blockchain tech, AI, or even meme tokens, this event is worth watching. Solana recently dropped a bombshell on X (formerly Twitter), announcing eight new bounties to supercharge developer participation. These additions come from heavy hitters like Visa, Phantom, and Coinbase, promising to push the boundaries of machine-native payments.

For the uninitiated, x402 is Solana's innovative protocol designed for instant, blockchain-powered payments tailored to APIs and autonomous AI agents. Think of it as the plumbing that lets machines handle transactions without human intervention—perfect for an internet-native economy where AI agents buy, sell, and interact seamlessly. The hackathon itself is all about building at the frontier of payments and AI, with $50,000 in base prizes spread across five tracks: Best Trustless Agent, Best x402 API Integration, Best MCP Server, Best x402 Dev Tool, and Best x402 Agent Application. Each track offers $10,000 to the top entry, and everything must be open-source and deployed on Solana's devnet or mainnet.

But the real buzz comes from these new bounties, detailed in Solana's X thread. They're like bonus challenges that layer on extra rewards, encouraging devs to integrate specific tools and protocols. Here's a breakdown of the eight newcomers:

• Best Use of Visa TAP: Craft an AI agent that taps into Visa's Trusted Agent Protocol for secure payments. Prize: $10,000 from Visa.

• Best Use of CASH: Develop an x402 agent leveraging Phantom's CASH for seamless transactions. Prize: $10,000 in $CASH tokens from Phantom.

• Best Multi-Protocol Agent: Bridge multiple payment protocols in one agent. Prize: $10,000 in ATXP credits from ATXP.

• Best Usage of CDP Embedded Wallets: Use Coinbase's Developer Platform embedded wallets (SVM-compatible) to build demand-side agents that discover, reason, and pay for tool calls autonomously. Prize: $5,000 from Coinbase.

• Parallax Eco Track: Create the top agent on Gradient Parallax. Prize: $5,000 from Gradient.

• Best Use of Switchboard: Incorporate data from Switchboard's permissionless oracle protocol. Prize: $5,000 from Switchboard.

• Machine Economy Prize: Utilize OM1 to construct autonomous agents with x402. Prize: $5,000 in cash plus credits from OpenMind.

• Best Agent on Dark Open Source Repos: Build atop Dark's open-source repositories. Prize: $10,000 from Dark Research.

These bounties aren't just about the cash—they're gateways to real-world integrations that could transform how AI interacts with finance on Solana. For meme token enthusiasts, this is particularly intriguing. Solana's ecosystem is already a hotspot for viral memes like Pump.fun launches and community-driven coins. Imagine AI agents autonomously scouting, trading, or even memeing tokens: scouting undervalued gems, executing micro-trades, or generating hype through automated posts. x402 could make meme economies more dynamic, with agents handling payments for NFT drops or token airdrops without friction.

The hackathon runs until November 11, 2025, with winners announced on November 17. If you're a builder, head over to the official Solana x402 Hackathon page for full details on submissions, including the need for a short demo video and comprehensive docs. Solana's move to add these bounties shows their commitment to fostering an agent-driven future, and it's a prime opportunity for devs to contribute to the next wave of blockchain innovation.

One notable shoutout in the thread came from Stakefy, highlighting their edge in privacy, UX, and decentralization for machine payments. Their post underscores how projects like this are positioning themselves as leaders in the x402 space.

Whether you're deep into Solana memes or just curious about AI-blockchain mashups, keep an eye on this hackathon—it might just spawn the next big thing in crypto.