Visa, Mastercard and Ant International plan shared trust framework for AI shopping agents
The proposed Know Your Agent framework would help payment networks recognise authorised AI agents, but no launch timeline or merchant pilots have been announced.
Visa, Mastercard and Ant International plan to develop a shared framework for identifying and authorising AI agents that make purchases. Announced on 10 September, the proposed Know Your Agent system is intended to allow agents approved on one network to be recognised across the others.
The initiative combines Visa’s Trusted Agent Protocol, Mastercard’s Verifiable Intent and Ant International’s Agentic Mobile Protocol. Each network would retain its own approval process, meaning cross-network recognition would remain subject to individual authorisation standards.
AI shopping agents could automate tasks such as grocery orders and subscription renewals. For Visa and Mastercard, wider use of software-led purchasing could increase transaction volumes routed through their payment networks, which connect banks, merchants and consumers.
The companies cited estimates reported by CNBC from McKinsey research that AI agents could handle US$3 trillion to US$5 trillion in global consumer commerce by 2030. The commercial impact of the proposed framework remains uncertain, however, and the announcement did not specify how widely merchants, wallets or other payment networks might adopt it.
Ant International’s Alipay+ network connects multiple digital-wallet networks, particularly across Asia, where wallets are more prevalent and physical cards are less commonly used. The collaboration could therefore broaden Visa and Mastercard’s reach into markets where card payments are less dominant.
No implementation timeline or merchant pilot was announced. The companies also have not specified how the framework would handle spending errors, disputed purchases or unauthorised actions. Agents could also bypass card networks through stablecoins, an area both Visa and Mastercard are pursuing.
