Before AI goes fully autonomous, a crucial layer is needed: payments and identity. That’s where Kite comes in. Kite is building an EVM-compatible Layer-1 to enable agentic payments, letting AI agents transact in real time with verifiable identity and programmable governance. AI agents need wallets, not APIs. Identity should be separated across user, agent, and session, while payments must be instant, trustless, and autonomous. $KITE powers this emerging economy, starting with ecosystem participation and incentives, then moving to staking, governance, and network fees. Before AI can act independently, it needs its own economic layer. Kite is building that foundation now.