X CEO responds to API concerns: Capable of processing any on-chain assets in real-time, evolving from social platforms to financial trading hubs

Product Lead Nikita Bier responded to community questions today, clearly stating that the platform’s API will have the capability to process almost any on-chain minting content in real-time. This commitment reflects a shift in X’s ambitions within the crypto ecosystem—from a simple social media platform to an on-chain financial transaction hub. The response also coincidentally came two days after InfoFi was banned from API access by X, making the timing quite noteworthy.

User Concerns and Platform Promises

Origin of the Issue

Community users raised practical concerns about the Smart Cashtags (Smart Asset Tags) feature being developed by X: some small-cap crypto assets not yet listed on mainstream exchanges cannot be queried through the platform and are ultimately forced to trade on decentralized exchanges (DEXs). This pain point highlights a reality—traditional crypto asset query backends often only cover top-tier coins, with limited support for long-tail assets.

Nikita’s Direct Response

In response, Nikita Bier provided a clear technical promise: X’s API will be able to process any on-chain minted content in near real-time. The phrases “near real-time” and “any content” are key—indicating both technical performance and coverage scope. In other words, X aims not only to support major assets but also to allow users to query newly created on-chain assets immediately.

Ambiguity in Future Functionality

Interestingly, when users asked whether they could trade using self-custody wallets or even CEX widgets on X, Nikita only responded with a “follow” emoji. This response was neither a clear “yes” nor “no,” implying that such features are indeed under consideration but details and timelines are still uncertain.

Background Shift: From Spam Cleanup to Feature Upgrades

Implication of InfoFi Ban

Just two days prior (January 15), Nikita announced the revocation of API access for InfoFi applications, citing that such apps led to X being flooded with low-quality AI-generated content and spam replies. Tokens for projects like Kaito and Cookie dropped 15%-20% in response. This “strong-arm” move essentially represents X cleaning up its platform ecosystem.

Why Launch Smart Cashtags Now

From the timeline, X first cleaned up spam content and then introduced more powerful crypto asset query features. This is no coincidence. X is signaling: we don’t want API clients that profit from incentivizing spam content, but we do want features that enable genuine user trading. This marks a shift from “traffic monetization” to “trading infrastructure.”

Significance Behind the Technical Promise

Ambition for Coverage

The phrase “any on-chain minted content” suggests X aims for comprehensive on-chain asset coverage. On blockchains like Solana and Ethereum, thousands of new tokens are created daily, most of which will never be listed on exchanges. If X can truly achieve real-time querying, it effectively provides liquidity access points for these long-tail assets.

From Social to Financial Advancement

Smart Cashtags are not just a query tool; the underlying logic is to allow users to see asset prices, trading pairs, and other financial data directly within X’s feed. Coupled with earlier reports that “X plans to enable trading of stocks and cryptocurrencies on the platform,” this feature is gradually transforming X from a pure social platform into a financial transaction hub.

Potential Challenges and Future Outlook

Technical Feasibility

Real-time processing of “any” on-chain content sounds ideal, but practical implementation faces challenges: data reliability, spam coin identification, user security protections, etc. X will need to balance openness with safety.

Regulatory Considerations

Once X supports self-custody wallet trading, it will involve financial regulation issues. This might be why Nikita remains vague about “whether trading on X will be possible in the future.”

Ecosystem Impact

If Smart Cashtags truly cover all on-chain assets, it could directly impact DEX user experience. Users might prefer to query and trade directly on X rather than jumping to DEXs. This has huge commercial potential for X.

Summary

Nikita’s response is not just a technical reassurance but a declaration of X’s new positioning. From banning InfoFi to launching Smart Cashtags, X is demonstrating through action: we aim to build real financial infrastructure, not a breeding ground for spam content. The promise of real-time API processing of any on-chain asset reflects X’s ambitions in the crypto ecosystem. The key questions moving forward are when this technical capability will be realized and whether self-custody wallet trading features will truly go live. If both are achieved, X could fundamentally change how users trade crypto assets.