Visa, Mastercard, Ant Build Standards For AI Agents

Visa, Mastercard and Ant International are creating shared standards to verify AI agents, aiming to make automated payments safer and easier across networks.

Ant International, Mastercard and Visa have launched a joint effort to create common standards for identifying and verifying AI agents capable of making purchases for consumers. The companies are developing a Know-Your-Agent (KYA) interoperability framework intended to help card networks, digital wallets, agent platforms and marketplaces recognize trusted agents across payment ecosystems while retaining their own approval and risk controls.

The initiative comes as the payments industry prepares for a shift toward agentic commerce, where artificial intelligence moves beyond product recommendations and begins completing transactions on behalf of users. The proposed framework is designed to establish greater consistency around agent identity and trust as these systems become more involved in consumer spending.

The collaboration builds on separate technologies already developed by the three companies, including Visa’s Trusted Agent Protocol, Mastercard’s Verifiable Intent and Ant International’s Agentic Mobile Protocol. By working toward shared principles, the companies said they hope to reduce duplicated verification and integration work while giving participating networks better visibility into trust and transaction risks.

The proposed framework includes mechanisms for linking an AI agent to a verified operator, cardholder or organization, alongside shared security and behavioural certification requirements. It also envisions continuous monitoring using identity and transaction signals, allowing agents to be assessed after onboarding rather than relying solely on an initial verification.

Visa Global Head of Growth Products and Strategic Partnerships Rubail Birwadker said, “As AI agents become a bigger part of how people discover and buy, trust must scale with them.” The companies said stronger interoperability could lower integration costs, shorten development timelines and help new agentic payment services reach the market faster.

The work will take place through BuildFin.ai, an industry platform convened by the Monetary Authority of Singapore that connects financial institutions, technology providers and researchers working on AI applications in financial services. The collaboration will focus on common approaches to agent verification, accountability and risk management while seeking safeguards for consumers, merchants and financial institutions.