Google backs development of open standards for agentic payments

Google has announced it will donate its Agent Payments Protocol (AP2) to the FIDO Alliance to help set up secure, interoperable standards for agent-led commerce.

The move forms part of a wider initiative led by the FIDO Alliance to develop open frameworks for agentic interactions, where AI agents act on behalf of users to authenticate, transact and complete tasks.

The FIDO Alliance, a non-profit industry organisation focused on developing authentication methods to reduce alliance on passwords, has set up the Agentic Authentication Technical Working Group. This body is designed to explore how agent-initiated transactions can operate safely at scale.

Google will provide the AP2 protocol, along with a verifiable intent framework the company has co-developed with Mastercard, to create a model which enables users to authorise AI agents to act within clearly defined boundaries while maintaining a verifiable record of intent.

The FIDO Alliance said its work will focus on three core areas: enabling verifiable user instructions through phishing-resistant authorisation methods; establishing robust agent authentication so services can confirm actions are being carried out on behalf of a legitimate user; and defining trusted delegation frameworks for commerce, ensuring transactions remain within user-approved parameters.

As part of the collaboration, Google has also released a new version of AP2, introducing support for “human not present” payments. The company said this will allow AI agents to execute transactions autonomously based on pre-authorised instructions. Use cases include time-sensitive purchases such as securing limited-release products or tickets without requiring real-time user intervention.

The FIDO Alliance will oversee the development of these standards through the working group. A parallel Payments Technical Working Group, chaired by Mastercard and Visa, will focus on commercial use cases.

Google said transferring AP2 to the FIDO Alliance will ensure the protocol remains open and platform-agnostic, while benefiting from broader industry input.

“AI agents are quickly becoming part of how people get things done online – from making purchases to managing everyday tasks,” said Andrew Shikiar, executive director and chief executive of the FIDO Alliance. “To scale this safely, people need to trust that these actions are secure, authorised and truly reflect their intent.

“These initiatives bring the industry together to establish a trusted foundation for agent-driven interactions across authentication and commerce.”