X is Adding Crypto Trading, but with One Big Warning

Key Highlights

X plans to launch Smart Cashtags within weeks, enabling in-feed trading of crypto and stocks.
Product chief Nikita Bier said apps that incentivize spam, raids, or harassment will be blocked under new API rules.
The rollout signals X wants crypto adoption without turning the platform into a fee-farming or spam economy.

X is preparing to roll out native crypto and stock trading features to its global user base, with Smart Cashtags set to allow users to trade assets directly from their timelines within weeks, according to the platform’s head of product.

The move marks one of the clearest steps yet by the Elon Musk-owned platform to integrate financial activity into its core social experience, while drawing firm boundaries around spam-driven crypto applications.

Nikita Bier, X’s head of product, confirmed on Saturday that Smart Cashtags are under active development and will soon let users trade stocks and crypto assets without leaving the app.

“And yes, we are launching a number of features in a couple of weeks, including Smart Cashtags that will enable you to trade stocks and crypto directly from the timeline,” Bier said.

He framed the feature as part of X’s effort to support crypto adoption in a way that does not damage the platform’s social dynamics.

“I genuinely want crypto to proliferate on X, but applications that create incentives to spam, raid, and harass random users is not the way,” Bier added. “It meaningfully degrades the experience for millions of people — only to enrich a few people.”

Debate Over Crypto Fees and Spam Apps

The comments followed a heated exchange sparked by Argentine tech entrepreneur Santiago Siri, who weighed in on an interview with Peter Steinberger, the creator of Clawdbot, now known as OpenClaw.

Siri said Steinberger had claimed to be losing between $10,000 and $20,000 per month maintaining OpenClaw, while simultaneously criticizing crypto enthusiasts for attempting to tokenize his projects.

“There’s probably at least $100k in fees waiting for you on these token networks, if not way more,” Siri wrote. “Open your eyes my man.”

X Pushes Back on “Claim Your Fees” Models

Bier sharply rejected that argument, calling it “the most dishonest perspective” he had seen on fee-based crypto applications.

“Everyone knows that the moment he does it, it will haunt him for the rest of his tenure on this app,” Bier said. “Every reply will be about making the price goes up.”

He added that X plans to update its API rules to block applications that create fee pools for users who have not explicitly opted in.

“We intend to update our API policies to block apps that create fee pools for non-consenting users,” Bier said.

Siri responded by arguing that the core issue is not spam, but consent and discoverability.

“The issue isn’t ‘claim your fees spam,’ it’s consent and discoverability,” Siri wrote, suggesting that opt-in systems and transparent fee pools could reduce asymmetry rather than exploit users.

He warned that blocking entire categories of applications could stifle innovation at a critical moment for programmable finance.

“Blocking entire classes of applications because some actors are noisy risks freezing experimentation,” Siri said.

In a postscript, he claimed he is earning “380x” his X subscription subsidy through crypto fees, arguing that such models could materially improve creator economics.

X Draws a Line as Financial Features Expand

Bier responded by reiterating X’s position that crypto innovation must not come at the expense of user experience.

“I genuinely want crypto to proliferate on X,” he said again, emphasizing that harassment-driven growth models would not be tolerated.

With Smart Cashtags set to launch in the coming weeks, X appears to be positioning itself as a tightly controlled gateway for crypto and financial trading, allowing native participation while cracking down on external applications that rely on aggressive monetization tactics.

The rollout could expose crypto trading to more than a billion users globally, while signaling that X intends to decide how, and on whose terms, crypto operates inside its ecosystem.

Also Read: Polymarket Launches 5-Minute Crypto Trades via Chainlink

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