Google and Partners Launch Open Protocol for AI Agent Payments
The Agent Payments Protocol (AP2) uses cryptographically signed "mandates" to create a secure and auditable trail for transactions initiated by autonomous AI agents.
Google, along with more than 60 partners, announced the Agent Payments Protocol (AP2) on September 17, 2025. AP2 is an open standard designed to allow AI agents to securely conduct commercial transactions on behalf of users.
## Solving for Trust in Agentic Commerce
The protocol aims to solve three core challenges for the emerging agent-driven economy: authorization, authenticity, and accountability. Traditional payment systems assume a human is directly initiating a purchase, an assumption that breaks down with autonomous agents.
AP2's central mechanism is the use of "mandates." These are tamper-proof, cryptographically signed digital credentials that serve as verifiable proof …
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