Cloudflare, together with the world’s largest payment systems, is launching a unified authentication standard for commercial transactions conducted by artificial intelligence (AI).
Cloudflare, a global leader in cloud-based network security solutions, announced a strategic partnership with payment giants Visa, Mastercard, and American Express. Together, they’re developing the technological foundation for so-called agentic commerce, a new form of online shopping where AI autonomously conducts transactions on behalf of users.
As part of the project, the companies are introducing the cryptographic protocol Web Bot Auth, designed to securely authenticate AI agents and distinguish them from malicious bots. The solution enables merchants to understand the purpose of an interaction, accept multiple payment methods, from bank cards to cryptocurrencies, and protect customer data.
Building on this foundation, Cloudflare and Visa developed the Trusted Agent Protocol, a new industry standard ensuring secure and transparent transactions between merchants and AI-driven agents. Visa is already integrating this protocol into its Visa Intelligent Commerce platform.
Mastercard is implementing Web Bot Auth into its Mastercard Agent Pay service, helping merchants identify trusted AI agents and create personalized shopping experiences. American Express is also joining the initiative, using Web Bot Auth to support its own agentic commerce program.
Other partners, including Adyen, Checkout.com, Circle, Fiserv, Microsoft, Nuvei, Shopify, Webflow, and Worldpay, joined the collaboration to help further develop the standard. Soon, agents built with the Cloudflare Agents SDK will be able to make purchases from millions of merchants worldwide.
Cloudflare and its partners are building a global ecosystem for AI commerce agents, designed to ensure security on a worldwide scale. Among their initiatives are the Agent Payments Protocol, the NET Dollar stablecoin, and the x402 standard developed with Coinbase, aimed at accelerating the adoption of agentic commerce across the internet.
Learn more about the growing trend of AI agent integration in FinTech solutions in CP Media’s article.
