Payment firms to co-develop framework to recognise AI agents that purchase on users’ behalf

[BENGALURU] Ant International, Mastercard and Visa have launched an initiative to develop common standards to identify and verify artificial intelligence agents that can make purchases on behalf of users.

The companies said on Thursday (Sep 10) they had begun collaborating on a Know-Your-Agent interoperability framework that would allow card networks, digital wallets, agent platforms and online marketplaces to recognise trusted AI agents across different payment ecosystems while maintaining their own approval and risk management processes.

The initiative comes as the payments industry prepares for the growth of agentic global consumer commerce, in which AI agents evolve from making recommendations to completing purchases on behalf of users.

The framework builds on the companies’ existing protocols, including Visa’s Trusted Agent Protocol, Mastercard Verifiable Intent and Ant International’s Agentic Mobile Protocol.

The companies said the initiative could help reduce integration costs and accelerate the launch of new agentic services by providing greater trust and risk visibility across participating networks.

Ant International, Mastercard and Visa said they would collaborate through BuildFin.ai, a platform convened by the Monetary Authority of Singapore that brings together financial institutions, technology providers and researchers to develop AI solutions for financial services. REUTERS