Sniffy, a Filipino-developed project that allows AI agents to independently pay for and access app store optimization (ASO) data, has taken the top prize at the Build In! Payments Hackathon, offering a glimpse into how artificial intelligence could reshape digital payments.
The winning solution was built to help founders and product teams automate one of the more repetitive aspects of app development: monitoring App Store Optimization data.
Instead of requiring users to log into dashboards and manually retrieve insights, Sniffy enables AI agents to purchase and access the information on their own, allowing ASO research to become part of an automated workflow.
The project emerged as the overall winner of the multi-week hackathon organized by Morph, together with Bitget’s Blockchain4Youth initiative and DvCode Technologies Inc., which challenged Filipino developers to build payment solutions for practical, everyday use cases.
Moving beyond crypto use cases
Sniffy, an AI-powered payment solution emerged as the grand champion of the Build In! Payments Hackathon
While blockchain hackathons have often focused on decentralized finance or cryptocurrency trading, this year’s competition placed greater emphasis on solving business problems.
Participants developed solutions across five categories: cross-border remittances, SME payments, payroll and B2B transactions, foreign exchange treasury, and agentic AI payments.
Sniffy’s victory reflects a broader shift in the industry as developers begin exploring how AI agents can do more than generate content or answer questions.
Increasingly, attention is turning to whether these systems can also complete transactions securely and autonomously, opening the door to applications ranging from software subscriptions to machine-to-machine commerce.
Several other projects were also recognized during the competition.
Mandate402 won the x402 Agentic Payments category, while Centrus Sovereign topped the Cross-Border Remittance category. Ember was named the winner in SME Payments, PayMemo in Payroll and B2B, Agent Mesh received the Community Choice Award, and Echo earned the Blockchain4Youth Award.
Participants competed for a prize pool of 3,500 USDC, with the program culminating in a live project showcase and awarding ceremony at YSpaces BGC in Taguig City.
Building the next generation of Web3 developers
Organizers, partners, and winning teams at the awarding ceremony of the Build In! Payments Hackathon
Beyond the competition itself, organizers positioned the hackathon as a way to strengthen the country’s growing Web3 developer community. Participants attended mentoring sessions, collaborated with fellow builders, and learned more about Morph’s blockchain ecosystem.
The program also featured a talk by Eli Rabadon, chief executive officer of DvCode Technologies Inc. and author of Programming4Youth: Code Like a Cook, who encouraged aspiring developers to experiment, adapt, and keep building.
“At Bitget, we believe the future of Web3 starts with investing in people,” said Gracy Chen, chief executive officer of Bitget.
“Through Blockchain4Youth, our goal is to empower the next generation of builders by giving them access to learning opportunities where they can grow their skills with confidence. Supporting initiatives like the hackathon reflects our commitment to helping aspiring builders take their first steps toward building payment solutions.”
For David Hsiao, chief marketing officer of Morph, the event is part of a broader effort to cultivate developers who can build practical blockchain applications.
“The Build In! Payments Hackathon reflects Morph’s vision of nurturing a builder-first ecosystem where developers gain practical experience, exchange ideas, and grow together,” Hsiao said.
AI agents and the future of payments
Bitget’s Blockchain4Youth program has committed US$10 million over five years to support blockchain education and developer initiatives, while Morph is positioning its network as infrastructure for stablecoin-powered payments and other real-world blockchain applications.
As AI becomes more capable of acting on behalf of users, one question is beginning to emerge: not whether machines can make decisions, but whether they can also make payments. Projects like Sniffy suggest Filipino developers want to help shape that future.
