Nimiq has opened the second cycle of its Mini Apps Competition, inviting developers to build open-source applications that can be accessed through its payment app.
Running from Aug. 24 to Sept. 18, Cycle II gives developers, AI builders, vibe coders and indie hackers four weeks to create working Mini Apps using the Nimiq Pay Mini Apps Framework. Participants will compete for $17,000 in prizes.
The new cycle follows an inaugural round that attracted 62 submissions. It is the second of three planned competition cycles, with more than $50,000 in total prizes being offered across the programme.
While the competition provides developers with a financial incentive to participate, it also forms part of a broader change in how Nimiq intends its payment app to operate. The project is working to develop Nimiq Pay from a standalone payment application into an open platform that can support tools and experiences created by third-party developers.
Bringing Applications Into The Payment Experience
The Nimiq Pay Mini Apps Framework allows developers to create and host lightweight web applications that users can access within Nimiq Pay.
Rather than building a separate application that users must discover and access independently, developers can make their Mini Apps available through an existing payment environment. The applications can also use the wallet functionality and payment rails provided by Nimiq Pay.
This means developers do not need to create every part of the supporting payment infrastructure themselves before launching. They can instead focus on the application and the experience it provides, while Nimiq Pay handles the underlying wallet and payment functions.
“This is an ‘App Store moment’ for crypto payments,” said Max Burger, Executive Director at Nimiq. “Developers can ship extensions to Nimiq payment experience and put it in front of real users immediately, inside an app where it works with everything else, not in a silo.”
The framework is designed to support a range of applications rather than a single use case. Eligible submissions can include games, productivity tools, marketplaces, social experiences and other web-based applications that extend what users can do through Nimiq Pay.
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An Alternative Distribution Model
The competition also highlights Nimiq’s approach to application distribution and ownership.
Traditional mobile app distribution can involve submission processes, platform fees, commissions and revenue-sharing requirements. Under Nimiq’s model, developers can make their Mini Apps available to Nimiq Pay users without submission fees, platform commissions or revenue sharing.
Builders also retain control over the applications they create, including their infrastructure and intellectual property. The applications can be hosted by the developers themselves while being made accessible through Nimiq Pay.
This structure gives developers a way to distribute payment-enabled applications without transferring ownership or a share of their revenue to the platform. It also allows them to use Nimiq Pay as the environment through which users access the application while continuing to operate the product independently.
The model is particularly relevant to smaller development teams and independent builders, who may have fewer resources available for infrastructure, payments and distribution. Providing wallet functionality and payment rails within the framework reduces some of the technical work required to turn an idea into a functioning application.
Opening The Competition To AI-Assisted Builders
Cycle II is open not only to conventional software developers but also to AI builders, vibe coders and indie hackers. Participants are permitted to use AI development tools throughout the four-week building period.
The inclusion of AI-assisted builders reflects the broader range of people now capable of creating web applications. Instead of limiting participation to established development teams, the competition is open to independent creators who use AI tools as part of their development process.
However, participants must still turn their ideas into working Mini Apps that can operate through the Nimiq Pay framework. The competition is therefore focused on functional applications rather than concepts alone.
Nimiq’s first competition cycle received 62 submissions, providing an initial indication of developer interest in building applications within a payment-focused environment. Cycle II will test whether that interest can continue as the project moves further towards its platform model.
For Nimiq, the competition provides a way to introduce developers to the framework while expanding the number and variety of applications that may eventually be available through Nimiq Pay.
For participants, it offers access to existing payment infrastructure, a potential route to Nimiq Pay users and the ability to retain ownership and control of what they build.
