Mastercard has launched a new service that allows businesses to use AI agents and software systems to make automated payments within set rules and limits.
Agent Pay for Machines by Mastercard is designed for transactions that occur programmatically in the background of digital commerce.
This involves high-volume, low-value payments between AI agents, machines, and software systems.
The service is designed to authorize, reconcile and settle these payments at machine speed across Mastercard’s global payments network.
In one example, an AI agent can set up an online store by purchasing a domain name, hosting services, images, and checkout tools within a set budget.
These transactions differ from traditional card and POS payments because they are automated and run continuously between systems, rather than being initiated one by one by a human.
said Jorn Lambert, Chief Product Officer at Mastercard.
“Agent Pay for Machines will create the conditions for AI business models to flourish.
Machine payments will enable services to be bought and sold between agents at a fundamentally different scale than payments today: very high volumes, very small amounts, very fast, and with very short delays. ”
Agent Pay for Machines builds on Mastercard’s Agent Pay program, introduced in 2025 to support payments involving trusted AI agents.
The new service supports authentication, authorization, transaction control and settlement across multiple payment types including cards, accounts and stablecoins.
Businesses can set spending limits and approval rules and enforce them programmatically.
Verified participants will also be able to trade across providers and systems, with support for payments across multiple rails.
Initial participants and supporters of the service include more than 30 companies, including Adyen, Ant International, BVNK, Checkout.com, Cloudflare, Coinbase, Getnet by Santander, Global Payments, Lovable, OKX, Stripe, and Tempo.
Mastercard works with partners to test use cases, develop common rules, and support adoption across industries.
Featured image: Compiled by Fintech News Singapore, based on image by thanakij-12 via Magnific
