Visa and Mastercard Back New Agentic Payments Alliance

Visa, Mastercard, and other major players in the payments industry have joined forces to form the Agentic Payments Alliance (APA), a coalition aimed at guiding the development of AI commerce.

The APA is a brainchild of stablecoin platform Rain, which aims to ensure cooperation in the sector, projected to reach between $3 trillion and $5 trillion in global agentic commerce by 2030, according to McKinsey.

The alliance will operate as a working coalition, run collectively by its founding members, rather than being owned by any one company. Its members, already numbering over 25, will set its charter and mission together.

Early work is expected to include shared research and frameworks, testing emerging standards for agent identity and authorisation, and advocacy on the regulatory questions agentic commerce raises.

According to Farooq Malik, CEO of Rain, "No single company should get to decide how agents transact on someone's behalf. That has to come from the platforms building the rails, the regulators setting the rules, and the innovators closest to how agents are actually being used today."

The APA is not the only example of firms working together to map out the future of agentic commerce. Google and Mastercard are among the big names backing a Fido Alliance initiative to develop interoperable standards. Google has donated its open protocol, while Mastercard is providing its Verifiable Intent trust layer.

## Agentic Payments Alliance Members

| Member | Description | | --- | --- | | Visa | Global payment technology company | | Mastercard | Global payment technology company | | Fiserv | Global financial services technology company | | Circle | Digital currency company | | Solana | Blockchain platform | | Remitly | Cross-border payments company |

## The Future of Agentic Commerce

The Agentic Payments Alliance is a significant development in the payments industry, as it brings together major players to guide the development of AI commerce. The alliance's focus on cooperation and shared research is expected to help ensure that the sector develops in a way that benefits all stakeholders.

As the industry continues to evolve, it will be interesting to see how the Agentic Payments Alliance and other initiatives shape the future of agentic commerce. With the potential for the sector to reach between $3 trillion and $5 trillion by 2030, the stakes are high, and the need for cooperation and collaboration is clear.

The alliance's emphasis on advocacy on regulatory questions is also significant, as it highlights the need for clear guidelines and standards in the sector. With multiple initiatives and alliances emerging, it is clear that the payments industry is committed to shaping the future of agentic commerce.

Ultimately, the success of the Agentic Payments Alliance will depend on its ability to bring together diverse stakeholders and drive meaningful change in the sector. With its focus on cooperation and shared research, the alliance is well-positioned to make a positive impact on the future of agentic commerce.