Mastercard Unveils Agent Pay for Machines with AI-Focused Payment Infrastructure

Mastercard has launched Agent Pay for Machines (AP4M), a new infrastructure for payments made by autonomous AI agents. The system enables high-volume, low-value transactions to be executed at machine speed, something that legacy rails handle poorly.

The AP4M platform is built on top of Mastercard's global network and supports payments across crypto and traditional networks. It integrates with over 30 companies, including Coinbase and OKX, which have joined as early partners along with Stripe and Ripple.

Credentials recorded on the Polygon, Solana, and BaseTrust blockchains serve as proof of authorization for AI agents to transact. Users can set spending limits that are enforced automatically by the system, and Mastercard's network guarantees settlement.

Raj Dhamodharan, who leads blockchain and digital asset products at Mastercard, noted demand is already visible around HTTP 402, an emerging internet payment standard. He pointed to rising activity as a leading indicator, and estimates suggest agents could handle trillions of dollars in transactions by the end of the decade.