Agentic payments are transactions completed by AI agents on behalf of customers, with security and consent built in. In 2026, Banco Santander and Mastercard completed Europe’s first live end-to-end payment executed by an AI agent, processed through Santander’s live payments infrastructure and Mastercard Agent Pay. Below are the main protocols and frameworks shaping agentic payments.
Mastercard
Enables secure, authenticated agentic transactions where AI agents act on behalf of consumers. Transactions flow through existing card rails; issuers, acquirers, and merchants can recognize that an agent conducted the transaction. Pilots with Santander (Europe’s first live agentic transaction) and in Australia (Commonwealth Bank, Westpac).
Focus
Card-based agentic commerce, regulated bank framework
Status: Pilot / expanding
OpenAI + Stripe
Open-source protocol (Apache 2.0) for AI-powered commerce. Powers Instant Checkout in ChatGPT so users can buy from merchants in chat. Merchants keep customer relationships, decide whether to accept orders, and fulfill with existing systems. Uses REST APIs and Stripe’s Shared Payment Token as the initial delegated payment provider.
Focus
Consumer checkout in chat, merchant control, standardized flow
Status: Live (e.g. US ChatGPT + Etsy; Shopify coming)
Protocol for agent-to-agent and multi-agent commerce, with a focus on B2B and complex negotiations. Provider-agnostic and protocol-agnostic. Primary implementation via Google ADK and Gemini.
Focus
Multi-agent commerce, B2B, flexibility
Status: Emerging
Aims to create interoperability between AI agents and merchants so agents can discover and transact with merchants in a consistent way. Part of broader agentic commerce standards collaboration.
Focus
Agent–merchant interoperability
Status: In development
Supports direct transactions and coordination between AI agents, complementing agent–merchant flows. Emphasizes clear intent, secure credentials, and verifiable agent identity.
Focus
Agent-to-agent transactions
Status: In development
Mastercard
Framework for trusted AI transactions: clear user intent, secure credentials, and verifiable agent identity. Helps protect merchants from fraud and strengthens authentication for issuers.
Focus
Trust, identity, authentication for agentic transactions
Status: Rolling out with Agent Pay
Coinbase (open protocol)
Uses the HTTP 402 Payment Required status code to enable instant stablecoin payments over HTTP. Lets APIs, microservices, and AI agents pay per request without accounts or sessions. Supports micropayments and machine-to-machine payments. Coinbase offers a hosted facilitator; protocol is Apache 2.0 with TypeScript and Go SDKs.
Focus
Stablecoin payments over HTTP, API monetization, AI agent payments
Status: Live (Base, Solana; Coinbase Payments MCP uses x402)
Stripe (collaboration)
Stripe is collaborating on an open standard for agentic commerce alongside partners, with a focus on safe, interoperable AI-driven checkout and delegated payment flows.
Focus
Open standard, interoperability, safety
Status: In development
Agentic payments are transactions initiated or completed by AI agents on behalf of a user. The agent acts with the user’s consent and within defined rules, using secure credentials and identity so issuers, acquirers, and merchants can recognize and trust the agent-driven flow.
Mastercard Agent Pay is a framework that lets AI agents complete card-based payments on behalf of consumers. Transactions run over existing card rails; Santander and Mastercard completed Europe’s first live agentic transaction, and Australia has seen pilots with Commonwealth Bank and Westpac. The solution is still in pilot and not yet fully commercial.
The Agentic Commerce Protocol (ACP) is an open-source standard (Apache 2.0) developed by OpenAI and Stripe for AI-powered commerce. It powers features like Instant Checkout in ChatGPT, so users can buy from merchants inside chat. Merchants keep control of orders and fulfillment; Stripe’s Shared Payment Token is the initial delegated payment provider.
x402 is an open payment protocol that uses the HTTP 402 Payment Required status code to enable instant stablecoin payments over HTTP. It allows APIs, services, and AI agents to pay per use without accounts or sessions. Coinbase supports it via a hosted facilitator and Payments MCP; the protocol is Apache 2.0 with TypeScript and Go SDKs.
Banks and platforms that let AI agents access accounts and payments (including MCP and x402).
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