Mastercard Launches AI Agent Payments Network With RippleX, Coinbase
Summary
- Mastercard said it is launching AP4M, a new payments network that supports ultra-fast micropayments between AI agents.
- The company said the initial adopters and support partners include more than 30 crypto firms, including Coinbase, RippleX, Polygon and Ava Labs.
- AP4M will support adoption of AI-based automated payments infrastructure by offering multiple payment methods, including cards and stablecoins, as well as credentials and payment controls.
Forecast Trend Report by Period
Mastercard has launched a new service to support automated payments between artificial intelligence agents.
The global payments company said June 10 it is rolling out a new AI agent payments network called Agent Pay for Machines, or AP4M. The service is designed to support authorization, coordination and settlement for ultra-fast micropayments by AI agents across Mastercard's global payments network.
More than 30 crypto-related companies are participating in the initial rollout and support effort, including Coinbase, RippleX, Polygon, MoonPay, OKX, Tempo, Stripe and Ava Labs. Mastercard plans to work with those partners to test real-world use cases for the service and build an ecosystem aimed at accelerating adoption of AI-based payments infrastructure across industries.
High-frequency, low-latency and ultra-small payments are core features of AP4M. Unlike traditional offline payments, the system is designed for machine-to-machine transactions that run continuously in the background.
Mastercard said AP4M will support multiple payment methods, including cards and stablecoins. It also includes credentials and payment controls intended to help companies adopt AI-based automated payments more securely.
"AI payments make it possible to handle ultra-fast, ultra-small transactions at a scale that differs from today's systems," Jorn Lambert, Mastercard's chief product officer, said. "AP4M will help fuel explosive growth in AI business models."
