Author: Chloe, ChainCatcher
Google officially launched an open-source payment protocol called Agent Payments Protocol (AP2) on September 16, 2025, designed specifically for transactions between AI agents. This protocol was co-developed by Google in collaboration with over 60 leading global payment and technology companies, as well as crypto enterprises, including industry giants like American Express, Mastercard, EigenDA, Mysten Labs, Mesh, BVNK, Crossmint, PayPal, Coinbase, Ethereum Foundation, Adyen, and others. The launch of the AP2 protocol marks a new development stage for AI-driven commerce and payments, allowing users to have AI agents handle various secure transactions.
The AP2 protocol extends Google’s previously released Agent2Agent (A2A) protocol and Model Context Protocol (MCP), aiming to address the fundamental limitations of current payment systems that assume human users directly click the "buy" button. This open protocol provides a universal "language" that enables AI agents, merchants, and payment service providers to establish a secure and compliant transaction framework across platforms.
Addressing the Fundamental Challenges of AI Agent Payments
The core innovation of the AP2 protocol lies in addressing three fundamental issues in AI agent payments: Authorization, Authenticity, and Accountability. Traditional payment systems are built on the assumption of direct human operation, but the rise of AI agents has completely shattered this premise.
The protocol employs a "Mandates" mechanism to establish trust, which consists of tamper-proof, encrypted digital contracts. These mandates are signed by verifiable credentials (VC) and serve as the foundational evidence for each transaction.
The entire system supports two core transaction modes:
The first is the instant purchase mode, where users first sign an "Intent Mandate" to express their purchasing needs, such as "Help me find a black coat." This request is recorded in the initial "Intent Mandate." Once the AI agent adds the item to the shopping cart, the user will sign a "Cart Authorization" to complete the transaction.
Signing the Cart Authorization allows the AI agent to create secure, immutable records of the items and prices, ensuring that users are fully informed.
The second is the delegated task mode, which requires no human assistance. Users will pre-sign a detailed Intent Mandate, setting parameters such as price limits and time conditions, allowing the AI agent to automatically execute purchases when conditions are met.
Mastercard's Chief Digital Officer Pablo Fourez emphasized, "With the rise of AI-driven commerce, trust and accountability are more important than ever. We are committed to working with Google and other industry leaders to help shape the future of AI agent commerce."
Comprehensive Support for Stablecoins and Cryptocurrency Ecosystems
The groundbreaking design of the AP2 protocol supports multiple payment methods, from traditional credit and debit cards to stablecoins and instant bank transfers. To accelerate the integration with the crypto ecosystem, Google has partnered with Coinbase, Ethereum Foundation, and MetaMask to launch a dedicated A2A x402 extension protocol. This is a solution specifically designed for AI agent cryptocurrency payments, allowing AI agents to conduct secure, decentralized payment transactions via blockchain.
Coinbase Developer Platform Engineering Lead Erik Reppel stated, "Integrating x402 into AP2 to support stablecoin payments creates an ideal environment for AI agents to start trading with each other and testing crypto payment tracks. It’s exciting to see the concept of AI agents paying each other resonate within the broader AI community."
Ethereum Foundation Recently Announced the Formation of an AI Team
Before Google launched the AP2 protocol, the Ethereum Foundation announced the establishment of a new AI-focused team called the "dAI Team" (Decentralized AI Team), led by research scientist Davide Crapis, aimed at promoting the deep integration of AI and blockchain technology.
Davide Crapis, head of the newly announced AI team at the Ethereum Foundation, told Decrypt, "ERC-8004 will support multiple payment methods, but the x402 extension helps enhance the developer experience. Besides ERC, x402 is also being widely adopted, so this extension opens a new pathway for AI agents built on crypto tracks."
The core mission of the dAI team is to complete the formulation of the ERC-8004 standard, focusing on empowering AI intelligent agents and robots to make payments, collaborate, and adhere to rules without intermediaries. Another aspect is the Decentralized AI Stack, which aims to ensure that the future of AI technology does not rely on a few tech giants but is built on open, verifiable, and censorship-resistant infrastructure.
The standard will be officially released in November at the Devconnect conference, providing a complete technical framework for identity authentication, reputation building, and secure interactions for AI agents on the Ethereum network.
Crapis pointed out, "Ethereum makes AI more trustworthy, and AI makes Ethereum more useful. The more intelligent agents transact, the more a neutral foundational layer is needed to handle it."
PayPal's Global AI Head Prakhar Mehrotra expressed, "AP2 provides the foundation for trusted AI agent payments, and PayPal fully aligns with this vision. We are excited to leverage our business expertise to help extend these principles throughout the purchasing process."
Finally, the Ethereum Foundation is not the first to explore the intersection of AI and blockchain. The infrastructure protocol Planck launched a layer-0 blockchain designed specifically for AI in July, while Kite AI launched an AI-focused Layer-1 blockchain on Avalanche in February.
The trend of crypto projects moving towards AI agents has surged in the market since 2023. These agents can complete financial transactions and other tasks with minimal human oversight.
When asked if he thinks the Ethereum Foundation is falling behind in the AI race, Crapis responded that it is not the case. He told Cointelegraph, "The timing feels just right because various project parties have been experimenting with AI on these protocols for about two years."
Click to learn about ChainCatcher's job openings
Recommended Reading:
NAKA's stock price plummeted 54% in one day; is the market starting to tire of DAT?
Is the Base chain about to launch its token? 6 projects worth paying attention to
Return to the throne: The revival of Pump.fun
免责声明：本文章仅代表作者个人观点，不代表本平台的立场和观点。本文章仅供信息分享，不构成对任何人的任何投资建议。用户与作者之间的任何争议，与本平台无关。如网页中刊载的文章或图片涉及侵权，请提供相关的权利证明和身份证明发送邮件到support@aicoin.com，本平台相关工作人员将会进行核查。
