Google has launched the Agent Payments Protocol (AP2), an open standard designed to let AI agents securely initiate and complete payments across different platforms.
The tech giant revealed this in a post on its website on 16 September, announcing the payment protocol in collaboration with Coinbase, Mastercard, PayPal, and other payment platforms.
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AP2 works alongside existing standards like the Agent2Agent (A2A) and the Model Context Protocol (MCP). It provides a payment-agnostic framework so users, merchants, and payment providers can interact safely and consistently.
According to Google, AP2 is necessary to make AI agents capable of transacting on behalf of users, which creates the need for a common foundation to securely authenticate, validate, and convey an agent’s authority to transact.
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“Today, Google announced the Agent Payments Protocol (AP2), an open protocol developed with leading payments and technology companies to securely initiate and transact agent-led payments across platforms.
“The protocol can be used as an extension of the Agent2Agent (A2A) protocol and Model Context Protocol (MCP). In concert with industry rules and standards, it establishes a payment-agnostic framework for users, merchants, and payments providers to transact with confidence across all types of payment methods.
“We’re collaborating with a diverse group of more than 60 organizations to help shape the future of agentic payments, including Adyen, American Express, Ant International, Coinbase, Etsy, Forter, Intuit, JCB, Mastercard, Mysten Labs, PayPal, Revolut, Salesforce, ServiceNow, UnionPay International, Worldpay, and more,” Google said.
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Features
Google described the key features of the AI payment agent as ‘Mandates and Verifiable Credentials’. Mandates are cryptographically signed digital contracts that provide proof a user gave an agent permission to take certain actions.
“When you ask an agent, ‘Find me new white running shoes,’ your request is captured in an initial Intent Mandate. After the agent presents a cart with the shoes you want, your approval signs a Cart Mandate.
“This is a critical step that creates a secure, unchangeable record of the exact items and price, ensuring what you see is what you pay for.
“When you delegate a task like, ‘Buy concert tickets the moment they go on sale,’ you sign a detailed Intent Mandate upfront.
“This mandate specifies the rules of engagement; price limits, timing, and other conditions. In both scenarios, this chain of evidence culminates in securely linking your payment method to the verified contents of the Cart Mandate,” Google explained.
Google added that the protocol supports many types of payments, from credit and debit cards to stablecoins and real-time bank transfers. It is also built to scale across different devices and platforms and to help financial institutions manage risk.
The company stated that AP2 is meant to prevent a fragmented payments ecosystem and to open opportunities for new commerce models.
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