Google announced a universal protocol for payments initiated by artificial intelligence. More than 60 leading companies are involved in the development, including Mastercard, American Express, PayPal, Coinbase, and Revolut.
Google unveiled the Agent Payments Protocol (AP2), a new open protocol that enables AI agents to securely conduct transactions on behalf of users. The solution creates a unified language of interaction for buyers, sellers, and payment providers, ensuring safety and transparency across all types of payment instruments, from bank cards and transfers to stablecoins and cryptocurrencies.
AP2 addresses three main challenges that arise in the shift toward agent-driven payments:
- authorization — confirming that a user has delegated a specific action to artificial intelligence;
- authenticity — ensuring that an agent’s request reflects the true intent of the client;
- accountability — recording responsibility in the event of an error or fraud.
At the core of the protocol are digital Mandates, cryptographically signed contracts that capture the user’s intent and serve as proof for every transaction. They can be applied to immediate purchases (e.g., ordering goods with cart confirmation) as well as pre-delegated tasks, such as automatically buying tickets under predefined conditions.
More than 60 international organizations are contributing to the standard, including Adyen, American Express, Ant International, Coinbase, Etsy, Intuit, JCB, Mastercard, PayPal, Revolut, Salesforce, UnionPay International, Worldpay, and others. The protocol also includes an extension for crypto payments (A2A x402), developed in collaboration with Coinbase, the Ethereum Foundation, and MetaMask.
According to the announcement, AP2 will allow businesses to implement new commerce scenarios, from personalized offers and price tracking to complex tasks such as automatically booking flights and hotels within a given budget.
AP2 is expected to become the foundation for scaling so-called “agentic commerce,” where AI plays a key role in managing purchases and financial operations. Google believes the protocol will create a unified global standard and unlock opportunities for B2B solutions, procurement automation, and Web3 ecosystem integration.
More on the trend of AI agent adoption in FinTech solutions can be found in CP Media’s article.
