Visa, Mastercard and Ant International join forces on AI agent trust standards

Visa, Mastercard and Ant International have launched a joint initiative to develop common standards for identifying and verifying artificial intelligence agents that can make purchases on behalf of users.

The three companies said they had begun collaborating on a Know-Your-Agent interoperability framework. The system is intended to let card networks, digital wallets, agent platforms and online marketplaces recognise trusted AI agents across different payment ecosystems, while each participant retains its own approval and risk-management processes.

The move comes as the payments industry braces for the growth of agentic global consumer commerce, a shift in which AI agents move beyond making recommendations to completing purchases for users.

The proposed framework draws on protocols the companies have already developed: Visa's Trusted Agent Protocol, Mastercard Verifiable Intent and Ant International's Agentic Mobile Protocol.

According to the companies, the initiative could lower integration costs and speed up the launch of new agentic services by offering greater trust and risk visibility across participating networks.

The collaboration will take place through BuildFin.ai, a platform convened by the Monetary Authority of Singapore that brings together financial institutions, technology providers and researchers to develop AI solutions for financial services.