What is Agentic Payment? AI-Powered Next-Gen Automated Payments

Introduction

In the world of e-commerce and D2C businesses, "Agentic Commerce" is gaining attention—where AI compares, selects, and purchases products on behalf of users.

At the core of this transformation is "Agentic Payment", which enables AI agents to securely complete payments.

Traditional payment systems were designed for human operation, but in an era where AI makes decisions and purchases, we need "a system where AI can pay AI."

This article explains the mechanisms of Agentic Payment, the latest trends from major players, and key implementation considerations.

What is Agentic Payment: Autonomous Payment Systems by AI

Agentic Payment refers to a mechanism where AI agents automatically execute payments on behalf of users within pre-configured rules and permission boundaries.

This concept is deeply connected to the "Agentic Commerce Protocol (ACP)" promoted by OpenAI and Stripe.

ACP defines specifications that enable AI to understand product information and safely complete transactions with sellers, with Agentic Payment handling the final step of this process.

For example, when a user tells an AI "buy the same shampoo every month," the agent compares prices and inventory, autonomously making the optimal choice and completing the payment.

Major Players and Protocol Developments

Multiple international payment networks and protocol providers have already begun building the infrastructure for agent payments.

Visa

Visa is building a system through "Visa Intelligent Commerce" that allows secure delegation of payment authority to AI agents. The key feature is that AI handles tokenized card information without holding users' actual card numbers.

Visa Intelligent Commerce

Mastercard

Mastercard has announced "Agent Pay," proposing payment tokens called "Agentic Tokens" specifically for AI agents. This enables fine-grained control over payment authority and limits for each AI.

Mastercard Agent Pay

Stripe

Stripe, in collaboration with OpenAI, has established the "Agentic Commerce Protocol (ACP)." They provide the "Instant Checkout in ChatGPT" feature, enabling AI to understand products and complete payments within chat.

Stripe ACP Overview

PayPal

PayPal is advancing support for AI chat purchases, conducting demonstrations of smart checkout utilizing bot-based payments and purchase history learning.

PayPal AI Commerce Overview

American Express

Amex (American Express) is also exploring the integration of tokenization and AI payments, with corporate purchasing AI in mind.

Protocol Standardization Efforts

These companies are commonly focusing on protocol standardization.

For example, Google's AP2 (Agent Payments Protocol) is an open protocol for AI-to-AI payments, with announced plans to integrate with Visa and Stripe's MCP (Model Context Protocol).

Google AP2 Protocol Blog

Mechanisms and Benefits of Agentic Payment

Agentic Payment consists of three key elements:

1. Tokenized Payment Authorization

AI uses authorization tokens to make payments without touching card numbers.

2. Rule-Based Control

Users pre-configure spending limits, purchase frequency, and category restrictions.

3. Audit and Authentication

AI payments are traceable through cryptographic signatures and logs.

This mechanism enables users to safely delegate purchases to AI without friction, while companies can increase repeat rates and customer LTV.

Challenges and Future Outlook

The biggest challenge is designing the authority framework for "how much payment responsibility to delegate to AI."

Companies are ensuring security by issuing limited tokens for each AI and implementing two-factor authentication and category controls.

In the future, Agentic Payment will evolve into the foundation supporting an "Agentic Economy" where AI pays AI.

Combined with Web3 technology and smart contracts, a future where AI-to-AI transactions and contracts occur fully automatically is becoming realistic.

Conclusion

Agentic Payment is the core technology enabling AI to autonomously complete payments, with major players like Visa, Mastercard, Stripe, and PayPal competing while advancing standardization.

What companies should do now is determine "which protocols/networks to support".

In the near future, Agentic Payment will be integrated into all online transactions, evolving from AI merely "acting as a proxy" for purchases to AI "driving the economy."