EMVCo Explores Global Standards for AI-Powered Agentic Payments

EMVCo Addresses Rising Demand for AI-Driven Payment Standards

EMVCo, the global payment standards organization collectively owned by American Express, Discover, JCB, Mastercard, UnionPay, and Visa, has announced its intention to develop specifications for agentic payments, a rapidly emerging commerce model where artificial intelligence agents conduct transactions autonomously on behalf of consumers 1

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The initiative comes as payment and technology giants prepare for the rise of agentic commerce, recognizing the need for standardized approaches to handle the unique characteristics of AI-initiated transactions. EMVCo notes that agentic payments present distinct considerations for how transactions are initiated, authenticated, and secured, requiring specialized frameworks beyond traditional payment processing 1

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Addressing Security and Authentication Challenges

The technical body emphasizes that agentic payments have unique characteristics that differentiate them from conventional payment methods. These AI-driven transactions require new approaches to authentication and security protocols, as traditional consumer-initiated payment flows may not adequately address the complexities of agent-mediated commerce 2

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EMVCo believes that establishing a globally interoperable and scalable approach will be beneficial in realizing trusted agentic payments for all stakeholders in the ecosystem, including consumers, merchants, and card issuers. This standardization effort aims to ensure that AI agents can conduct secure transactions while maintaining the trust and reliability that consumers expect from payment systems 1

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Industry Collaboration and Stakeholder Engagement

Patrik Smets, EMVCo Executive Committee Chair, highlighted the organization's track record in developing global specifications that enable trusted card-based payments for billions of consumers and businesses worldwide. He emphasized the clear opportunity to collaborate with industry participants to extend this experience to support agentic payment solutions 1

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EMVCo is actively engaging with its Associates and Subscribers, which include hundreds of organizations spanning merchants, banks, and technology providers. The organization is also liaising with global technical bodies and associations to ensure comprehensive industry input. Additionally, EMVCo has extended an invitation to all interested stakeholders to participate in the standardization process and share their insights 2

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Strategic Importance of Early Adoption

Recent research from PYMNTS Intelligence and Worldpay collaboration titled "Agents of Change: How Agentic AI Is Redefining Commerce" indicates that industry leaders are actively developing new solutions, partnerships, and protocols to enable transparent and secure agentic commerce. The report suggests that firms can position themselves to lead in agentic commerce by shaping industry standards through early adoption 2

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The research emphasizes that by deploying agentic AI solutions now, companies can influence emerging protocols and best practices, including secure agent-led payment frameworks. This early involvement ensures alignment with both regulatory requirements and customer expectations, positioning organizations at the forefront of this transformative commerce evolution 2

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