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PURCHASE, NY – Mastercard and Google are collaborating on Verifiable Intent, a new open standard designed to build trust in the emerging field of agentic commerce, aiming to ensure AI-driven transactions are authorized and secure.
The move signals growing momentum towards standardized, secure interactions between AI agents and merchants, potentially accelerating adoption of agentic commerce by both enterprises and consumers. ““As Al agents begin making purchases on behalf of consumers, trust and clear proof of intent will be essential. Mastercard’s Verifiable Intent is an important step toward making sure those transactions are authorised and secure,” said Meron Colbeci, chief product officer at Checkout.com.
Verifiable Intent: A Trust Layer for AI Agents
Verifiable Intent aligns with Google’s Agent Payments Protocol (AP2) and the Universal Commerce Protocol (UCP), aiming to provide a common framework for AI agents to interact with merchants. The open, standards-based approach is intended to foster interoperability and prevent vendor lock-in.
Mastercard’s Verifiable Intent API integrates with Basis Theory’s tokenization and secure data infrastructure. This combination provides a secure foundation for AI agents to manage sensitive payment information.
Live AI-Executed Payments in Europe
Santander and Mastercard recently completed Europe’s first live end-to-end AI-executed payment. The successful transaction demonstrates the feasibility of AI agents autonomously managing and completing payments.
The payment leveraged existing Mastercard infrastructure and security protocols, highlighting the potential for integrating agentic commerce into existing financial systems. Getnet and Worldpay (now Global Payments) are also watching the developments closely.
Building an Open Commerce Ecosystem
The development of Verifiable Intent and successful AI-executed payments underscores the importance of open standards in agentic commerce. These standards are crucial for fostering trust and interoperability between different AI agents and merchant platforms.
Open protocols like UCP and AP2 aim to create a level playing field for developers and businesses, preventing any single entity from controlling the future of agentic commerce.
Background: The Universal Commerce Protocol (UCP) and Agent Commerce Protocol (ACP) are being developed to standardize interactions between AI agents and merchants. These protocols aim to create a more seamless and secure experience for consumers using AI agents to automate shopping and purchasing tasks.
What is Verifiable Intent?
Verifiable Intent is a new open standard developed by Mastercard and Google designed to build trust in agentic commerce. It ensures that AI-driven transactions are properly authorized and secure by creating a standardized framework for verifying user intent in automated commerce interactions.
What is agentic commerce?
Agentic commerce refers to the emerging field of AI-driven transactions where autonomous agents (AI systems) conduct purchases and commercial interactions on behalf of users. This technology aims to streamline shopping and payments through artificial intelligence.
Why are Mastercard and Google collaborating on this standard?
Mastercard and Google are collaborating on Verifiable Intent to establish standardized, secure interactions in agentic commerce. This partnership helps ensure that as AI-driven transactions become more prevalent, they maintain proper authorization and security measures to protect consumers and build trust in the technology.
How does Verifiable Intent improve security in AI payments?
Verifiable Intent creates a framework that ensures AI-driven transactions are authorized and secure. By establishing an open standard for verifying user intent, it helps prevent unauthorized transactions and builds confidence that automated commerce interactions are legitimate and trustworthy.
Is Verifiable Intent an open standard?
Yes, Verifiable Intent is designed as an open standard, which means it is intended to be accessible and adoptable across the industry, not proprietary to Mastercard and Google alone. This approach promotes wider adoption and standardization in agentic commerce.
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