Natural raises $30M to reinvent payments for AI agents – and take on Stripe (thenextweb.com)

Natural, a startup focused on creating payment systems for AI agents, has raised $30 million in a Series A funding round led by Forerunner Ventures. This brings its total funding to over $40 million as it aims to challenge established players like Stripe by building payment infrastructure tailored for AI agents, which are expected to function as independent financial entities. Natural’s innovative approach involves owning the entire payment processing system, including ledgering, multi-bank settlements, and fraud checks, rather than relying on external services. The significance of this venture lies in the potential shift from human-centric transactions to automated financial interactions driven by AI. Currently, the agentic payments market is in its infancy, with estimated daily transaction volumes around $28,000, but forecasts predict it could grow from $7 billion to $93 billion by 2032. Natural's first year plans include launching 13 products, such as FDIC-insured wallets and agent-issued debit cards, with the goal of positioning itself ahead of the market. However, the startup faces competition from established companies like Stripe that are already integrating similar features, highlighting both the opportunity and risk of entering this emerging domain.