Big Players Join Forces in Bid to Shape Future of AI-Driven Commerce

The payments industry has made a significant bet on the future of commerce, where software agents handle most commercial transactions. The Agentic Payments Alliance (APA) has been formed by over 25 organizations, including Visa, Mastercard, and Fiserv, to create shared standards for AI-driven commerce.

The APA's initial focus areas include developing frameworks for AI agent identity and authorization, conducting shared research initiatives, preventing fraud, integrating loyalty programs, and advocating for regulatory clarity. The coalition aims to establish itself as the default standard-setter in this space, with McKinsey projecting that global agentic commerce activity could reach $3 to $5 trillion by 2030.

Rain, a stablecoin payment infrastructure provider, is organizing the APA without any single company owning or controlling it. This collective governance model allows members to shape the alliance's mission and objectives together. The APA's emphasis on interoperability among card networks, stablecoin frameworks, and blockchain technologies suggests that its members understand the importance of scale.