Ant, Visa and Mastercard Partner on AI Payment Rules

Ant International, Visa, and Mastercard have agreed to establish unified security standards for payments made by artificial intelligence agents. The joint project aims to create a shared verification framework that allows financial networks to monitor automated software purchasing goods and services on behalf of consumers and businesses.

Establishing common rules for AI transactions

The collaboration will focus on creating a “know your agent” framework. The system will link individual AI agents to verified entities, evaluate transaction patterns, and monitor automated behavior across network boundaries.

The agreement comes as payment processors prepare for a rapid rise in automated trade. Projections from consultancy McKinsey cited by the firms estimate that AI agents could manage between $3 trillion and $5 trillion in global consumer commerce by 2030. However, potential technical errors such as AI hallucinations make standard verification rules necessary before widespread adoption.

Jiang-Ming Yang, chief innovation officer at Ant International, stressed that consumer trust is essential for automated systems, noting that “we need to make sure people feel safe.” Yang added that “Trust is the foundation of the AI transformation,” explaining that unified registration will allow an AI agent verified by Ant to operate across Visa and Mastercard networks without requiring separate registration.

Bridging card networks and digital wallets

The shared initiative follows separate efforts over the past 12 months, during which Visa, Mastercard, and Ant International each created independent protocols for securing AI-driven purchases. The new effort aims to link those separate systems into an interoperable network.

Pablo Fourez, chief digital officer at Mastercard, pointed out that “Interoperability across Know-Your-Agent frameworks is essential to making agentic commerce work at scale,” noting the need for merchants and processors to reliably identify trusted agents.

The agreement also bridges distinct payment markets. Traditional credit cards dominate transactions in developed economies, whereas digital wallets prevail in many developing regions. Ant International operates the Alipay+ system, which connects with more than 50 regional e-wallets.

Automated buying tools already emerging

The standard is being developed as consumer software begins integrating automated buying features. Alipay recently introduced a feature that lets users schedule recurring daily orders, such as purchasing a specific coffee at a set time before prompting payment confirmation, alongside automated ride-hailing requests through Didi.

Data from payment processor Worldpay shows that digital wallets accounted for over $13 trillion in transaction value in 2025. That spending represented 56% of global e-commerce value and 33% of physical point-of-sale value.

Background

Ant International separated nearly three years ago from Hangzhou-based Ant Group, which operates the main Alipay mobile payments service in mainland China. While credit cards remain the primary transaction method in Western markets, digital wallets have expanded rapidly worldwide and are increasingly linked directly to payment cards and bank accounts.