Google launches new protocol for agent-driven purchases (techcrunch.com)

Google unveiled the Agent Payments Protocol (AP2), an open, interoperable standard for purchases initiated by AI agents, backed by more than 60 merchants and financial institutions (including Mastercard, American Express and PayPal). The full specification is posted on GitHub and Google says it will evolve through open collaboration and standards bodies. AP2 is designed to let user agents and vendor agents negotiate, bundle time‑sensitive offers and execute multi‑party purchases (e.g., simultaneous airline and hotel bookings) with cryptographic signatures and a traceable audit trail—important for dispute resolution and fraud investigations. Technically, AP2 requires two distinct approvals: an “intent mandate” (rules for searching and negotiating) and a “cart mandate” (final purchase authorization). It also supports fully automated buys if the intent mandate is detailed enough (price limits, timing, etc.). The spec aims for cross‑platform interoperability across AI platforms, payment systems and merchants, and includes an extension to integrate crypto wallets via the x402 protocol with partners like Coinbase, MetaMask and the Ethereum Foundation. Adoption will hinge on developer and platform support; AP2 already has a strong payments footprint but will compete with other agentic commerce efforts (e.g., Perplexity, Stripe). If broadly adopted, AP2 could standardize how autonomous agents transact, improving security, transparency and composability in AI-driven e‑commerce.